The jury has reached a verdict in the Apple vs. Samsung patent trial taking pace in a San Jose, Calif. court. Apple succeeded in the majority of its claims against Samsung, with the jury awarding Apple more than $1 billion in damages and potentially banning several Samsung devices from the U.S. market.
The jury validated almost all of Apple's claims against Samsung, for many different smartphones and tablets, putting the South Korean electronics giant on the hook for $1.049 billion. The jury also found that at least some of the infringement was "willful," which helped lead to the high figure. (Take a look at the complete verdict form here.)
Among the Apple-patented features Samsung devices were found to have been infringing upon: the "bounce-back" that happens when you scroll to the end of a list, double-tap zoom, pinch-to-zoom as well as the design and iconography on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches.
The Samsung devices affected include the Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, Nexus S, Mesmerize, Vibrant, Fascinate, Skyrocket, Continuum, Prevail, Infuse, Gem, Mesmerize, Indulge, Replenish, Epic 4G Touch and Droid Charge smartphones and the Galaxy Tab and Tab 10.1 tablets, among others. It's not yet known what the fate of the infringing products will be.
The jury rejected Samsung's claim that some of Apple's patents should be declared invalid. The jury also rejected Samsung's counterclaims, declaring that Apple did not infringe on Samsung's patents with the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
Lawyers for both Apple and Samsung checked the form for any inconsistencies and found two. The jury awarded damages for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE but didn't find it had infringed on any patents. Similarly, it awarded damages for the Intercept, but no infringement. The damages for those two products totaled about $2.2 million. Judge Lucy Koh sent the jury back to resolve those issues, and they returned saying those products didn't infringe, negating those damages.
Apple and Samsung both have post-trial motions, and will return to court Sept. 20 to hear them out. The legal process in the case will certainly continue in appellate courts.
The jury arrived at its verdict through a complex form. Each juror was given a form that was hundreds of questions long, asking jurors, product by product and patent by patent, where Samsung or Apple (in counterclaims) may have gone too far in emulating the other's products.
The case was fought for three weeks and revealed internal documents that companies usually keep under wraps. Some trial documents showed what early prototypes of the iPhone and iPad looked like. In another key part of Apple's case, a Samsung document showed how the Korean electronics giant concluded it could better compete in the smartphone market by emulating some aspects of the iPhone.
The case was turned over to the jury on Tuesday. In Apple's closing arguments, the company's lawyers said to Samsung, "Make your own phones." Samsung lawyers accused Apple of trying to seek a competitive edge in the courtroom instead of the marketplace.
Apple and Samsung are suing each other over patent infringement in courtrooms worldwide. A South Korean court ruled on Friday that both had infringed on each other's patents, giving a split decision and effectively banning some older products from both companies from the Korean market. The two have also traded legal victories in Australia and Germany, among other places.
A 2010 Samsung document breaks down the feature set of the Galaxy S Phone and the iPhone.
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