Apple-Samsung Outcome Recap
Published on 30 Aug 2012 at 3:53 pm.
Filed under Mobile.
The Apple vs Samsung ruling has been all over the news this week. We are going to recap some of the news that has followed, and speculate what it might mean for businesses and consumers.
Apple vs Samsung: History
For those who are not aware, Apple sued Samsung citing many trademark claims and patents. The judge then made them pair the lawsuit down. Apple mostly selected product and package design related patents. They also attempted to prove a pattern of copying by Samsung. Apple did choose three key technical patents:
- US Patent 7,469,381 – A patent that is sometimes called the “rubber band” patent. This patent deals with how the system moves a user back into normal view when they scroll beyond the edge of a document.
- US Patent 7,844,915 – A patent to find on the number of fingers a user is using. This allows the device to decide if the user intends to scroll or zoom.
- US Patent 7,864,163 – A patent on gesturing/tapping to zoom.
Apple vs Samsung: Verdict
The jury found Samsung guilty of willfully violating patents and awarded Apple 1.051 billion in damages. Google was quick to point out that most of the claims in the case do not refer to Android. It has since come to light that the foreman, a patent holder himself, misunderstood how prior art can invalidate a patent.
Apple vs Samsung: Aftermath
Apple is now seeking to have eight Samsung products banned in the U.S. The courts will not look into this issue until Christmas time. The only exception will be the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. This device is already banned. It was recently found to not infringe upon any of Apple’s patents. Sales of the Samsung Galaxy SIII have increased since the ruling.
Samsung has paid the entire fine in nickles. Samsung is challenging the ruling. Until then they have not paid the fine.
There is speculation that device makers may shift away from creating their own customizations to Android. This is both good and bad for consumers. It is good because the device makers creating their own customizations is the leading cause of the Android fragmentation issue. It often takes months for a company to rigorously test their customization on new versions of Android. Less customization means companies will complete their testing earlier and consumers can see the updates faster.
Less customization is bad because it will decrease innovation. Less innovation will see less improvements between each version of Android.
What are your thoughts on the outcome of this case? Will it deter you from purchasing Samsung products? Will you hold anything against Android?
This post was originally published as Apple-Samsung Outcome Recap for The BrandBuilder Company.