The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Samsung in its patent lawsuit against Apple. The highest court in the country unanimously decided that Apple should pay damages to Samsung for design patent infringement.
Samsung Wins the Case
CNet revealed that according to the U.S. Supreme Court, Apple must pay Samsung damages as regards the part of the device that infringed the patents, and not on the whole product. In 2015, Samsung was ordered to pay $399 million to Apple.
The present law states that an award may be ordered based on the entire profits of the infringing device. The recent ruling in favor of Samsung will most likely reduce the total amount it was previously demanded to pay its competitor.
The Supreme Court stated that the article of manufacture does not need to be the end product sold, but may only be a component of that said product. The Samsung vs. Apple lawsuit will be remanded to the lower courts to determine the damages to be paid.
Samsung stated that the landmark decision was a victory for the company and all who promote innovation, creativity and fair competition in the industry. They thanked those who stood by them throughout the legal battle. Apple stated that the Supreme Court now has to determine the amount that Samsung should pay for their previous copying.
The company added that their issue was always about how Samsung was blatantly copying their ideas. Apple continued that they will protect all the effort they put in the iPhone and remain optimistic that the lower courts will send a powerful message that it is not proper to steal.
Samsung vs Apple: Long-Term Rivals
The Samsung vs. Apple court decision is most recent in the long-running patent dispute between the two electronic companies. In July 2016, Apple filed a brief against Samsung in its patent infringement lawsuit.
In 2014, Apple's request to ban Samsung from selling any of its products that allegedly infringed the former's patent technology was denied. In 2014, both Samsung and Apple also agreed to drop all patent infringement suits against each other outside the U.S. More updates and details on Samsung and Apple are expected soon.
