Some of you might be aware that the Apple vs Samsung patent case has been in the courts for more than seven years. It started back in 2011 when Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs threatened that he would go “thermonuclear” on Android rivals that copied iPhone design. Samsung was routinely accused of copying the iPhone and infringing on multiple Apple patents.
After seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees, both companies have now decided that there's no use in fighting this out any further. They have decided to settle. This brings an end to a legal drama which has spanned nearly a decade.
Apple vs Samsung patent case
The original ruling in the lawsuit that was filed back in 2011 awarded Apple $1 billion in damages after Samsung was found to have infringed on Apple's patents. Samsung obviously appealed and continued to fight for several years with the case ultimately landing at the Supreme Court. The country's highest court ruled in Samsung's favor and remanded the case back to the lower court for a retrial.
The retrial was concluded last month and the jury found that Samsung infringed on three Apple design patents and two utility patents. The company was ordered to pay Apple $539 million in damages but it wasn't willing to call it quits. One of Samsung's lawyers hinted that the company would appeal the ruling. Samsung did file a post-trial motion challenging the damages awarded to Apple.
It hasn't come to that, though. Judge Lucy Koh confirmed in a court filing today that Apple and Samsung have informed her that they have reached a settlement. The two companies have not disclosed the terms of their settlement and have not offered any comments to the media.
This isn't the first time that the two companies have decided to settle matters out of court. After the opening salvo was fired in 2011, both companies filed lawsuits and countersuits against each other internationally as well. However, both decided to drop all litigation outside the United States in 2014 and just fought the one case that has now been settled.
With this settlement, the Apple vs Samsung patent case chapter has finally been closed.
