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US appeals court reopens Apple v. Samsung iPhone design suit in wake of Supreme Court ruling

In the aftermath of a critical Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reopened a long-standing Apple lawsuit accusing Samsung of copying the iPhone's design.

The court has reinstated Samsung's appeal in a single-paragraph order, and simultaneously tossed a ruling ordering the Korean company to pay Apple $399 million, Law360 said late on Thursday. It will now be up to the Federal Circuit to decide how much Samsung actually owes.

In early December, the Supreme Court sided with Samsung's position that a company can't be forced to pay the whole profits from an infringing device when only some components are violating patents. Samsung previously likened this to surrendering the whole profits from a car because of an infringing cupholder.

The core lawsuit has been in progress for over five years, specifically charging Samsung with copying the original iPhone's design, pointing to elements like bezels and home screen layouts. While Apple won a court victory in 2012 awarding it over $1 billion in damages, that amount came down dramatically in subsequent retrials.

After the original iPhone was released in 2007, Samsung quickly adapted the look and functions of its own phones, taking on similar aesthetics and switching to a touch-based interface.

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Apple's eventual lawsuit, however, was believed to be as much about Google's Android, the OS behind most Samsung devices. Former Apple Chief Steve Jobs considered Android "stolen," and threatened to go to "thermonuclear war" over the issue. Under Tim Cook, Apple has gradually wound down most Android-related legal actions.



15 Comments

cali 11 Years · 3494 comments

>Samsung steals the entire car.

"Its only a cup holder!!!"

7 Likes · 0 Dislikes
jungmark 14 Years · 6927 comments

Samsung' plan all along is to infringe,make boatloads of money, extend any lawsuit against them for forever, infringe on other patents, repeat. 

5 Likes · 0 Dislikes
maciekskontakt 16 Years · 1168 comments

Sounds like tryng to apply one country law to other regions business mentality, culture and practices. It is really hard to eliminate something that is acceptable in other region. Asia is about making cheap copies in addition to it's own genuine products. If Asian product is copied elswghere I do not belive that would be that big fuss. I know it is hard to accept that and one needs to fight for market and profit fairness, but we need to relaize the facts of life even if we do not agree with them to function in separate jurisdiction.

fallenjt 14 Years · 4056 comments

cali said:
>Samsung steals the entire car.

"Its only a cup holder!!!"

And that is dumbest argument I've ever heard. It's more like "Samsung steals the entire car...from the look, shape, interior, how to start the engine and bunch more little deatails..."

6 Likes · 0 Dislikes
rotateleftbyte 13 Years · 1633 comments

fallenjt said:
cali said:
>Samsung steals the entire car.

"Its only a cup holder!!!"
And that is dumbest argument I've ever heard. It's more like "Samsung steals the entire car...from the look, shape, interior, how to start the engine and bunch more little deatails..."

But there is no certainlty that anyone in the Jury will support the common sense argument and side with Apple.
If Samsung ends up winning then Apple may well have to pay Samsung a few Billion which anyone with half a brain can see is wrong but the Wonderful US Legal System allows this charade to go on and on and on and on.
Remember SCO sued IBM in 2003. The case despite SCO ceasing to exist years ago is not totally over. Don't you just love US Law.(not)

3 Likes · 0 Dislikes