The $1.05 billion in damages Samsung was ordered to pay Apple for infringing design patents has been reduced by 40 per cent by the judge that oversaw the original verdict – although this is not the end of the matter. U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh removed $450.5 million from the total, due to incorrect calculations in the earlier ruling, related to a number of specified Samsung devices.
However, a new trial has been ordered to consider damages related to these devices, and some observers suggest that the case will eventually end up before the US appeals court.
“We are pleased that the court decided to strike $450,514,650 from the jury’s award,” Samsung said in a statement. “Samsung intends to seek further review as to the remaining award. We are also pleased that the court earlier found that Samsung had not acted willfully, denied Apple’s request for a permanent injunction, and denied Apple’s motion for increased damages.”
A jury in California awarded the damage in August last year after finding that Samsung was guilty of infringing Apple’s design patents with 14 devices. The patents included the look and feel seen on the iPhone, as well as the bounce-back response and tap-to-zoom feature.
The rulings are the latest twist in the global litigation war between Apple and Samsung. The case at issue covers a series of older Samsung products that Apple says violated its intellectual property. A second lawsuit is pending before Koh in which Apple makes similar claims against Samsung’s more recent smartphones and tablets.
