New Jury Awards Apple $539 Million for Samsung Copying iPhone

Another jury has weighed in on Apple’s landmark damage case against Samsung for the South Korean company’s blatant copying of Apple’s iPhone. The verdict reached on Thursday awards Apple $539 million, down from the $1.05 billion Apple was originally awarded, but higher than the $28 million Samsung was arguing it owed.

Samsung Copy Machine

That’s right, this is that case. The one from 2012 where a jury found Samsung had blatantly and deliberately copied elements of Apple’s iPhone and what was then called Phone OS in order to jumpstart its smartphone business. That jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, but the case was then appealed and appealed and appealed again, going all the way up to the Supreme Court and back to a jury.

[Vanity Fair Profiles Samsung’s History as a Willful Copycat in Multiple Industries]

This is what Samsung does. The company copies its more innovative betters, applies its excellent logistic know-how to the industry, gets sued, loses, is ordered to pay damages, and then appeals until having lost the case is irrelevant.

Nuh-Uh

Samsung isn’t having it, either, saying in a statement, “Today’s decision flies in the face of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages. We will consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.”

For Apple’s part, the company said, “This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design.”

Be that as it may, this newest jury award won’t be the last development in this case. Still, it’s nice to see Samsung once again found to be the copycat it is.

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