It’s safe to assume that Apple had a pretty good weekend.
On Friday, the most profitable company in the world added another billion to the pile when the jury in Apple’s ongoing jury trial with Samsung returned a guilty verdict for Samsung.
Based on the damages as they presently stand, Samsung must pay Apple $1 billion in damages.
As recently as mid August, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh once again ordered Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung to speak in hopes of reaching an amicable settlement. “I’m going to make one more request that CEOs from both sides speak by phone,” Koh said. “It’s time for peace.”
But, alas, there was no peace. And on Friday, nine jurors returned a verdict after three days of deliberations. Samsung, the jury decided, willfully infringed on key Apple patents in the realm of mobile technology.
“This is clearly a major setback for Samsung and perhaps the Android platform,” independent business analyst Mike Randazzo tells Mobile Marketing Watch. “Samsung makes a huge share of devices – both tablets and smartphones – that deliver the Android operating system to the masses. If these products get pulled from shelves – and that could happen – the implications will be huge for both companies. Apple wlll gain in ways it never could without this outcome, and Samsung and Apple may perhaps never recover current levels of momentum.”
So, after a long weekend to contemplate the verdict, do you believe the jury acted correctly by penalizing Samsung? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
