Nearly five years after Samsung was found guilty in a California court of copying certain aspects of Apple’s iPhone and iPad without permission, the South Korean tech giant will finally pay up. While it’s not the $1 billion Apple was initially awarded in the years-long trial, court documents state that Samsung has agreed to pay Apple more than half a billion dollars to settle the case. Of course, the news sadly doesn’t mean that this saga has ended — there are a few caveats that leave the door open for the case to carry into its sixth year.
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According to court filings discovered by FOSS Patents, Samsung has submitted documents stating that it has agreed to pay Apple $548 million to settle their patent dispute. Apple must submit an invoice for the sum to Samsung before the weekend arrives in South Korea, and Samsung will then remit payment within 10 days.
Of course, the payment doesn’t necessarily mean this tedious battle is over. As the report notes, Samsung says it reserves the right to ask for its half-billion back in the event that any future court findings that invalidate the judgement.
From the court documents:
Samsung continues to reserve all rights to obtain reimbursement from Apple and/or payment by Apple of all amounts required to be paid as taxes. […] Samsung further reserves all rights to reclaim or obtain reimbursement of any judgment amounts paid by Samsung to any entity in the event the partial judgment is reversed, modified, vacated or set aside on appeal or otherwise, including as a result of any proceedings before the USPTO addressing the patents at issue or as a result of any petition for writ of certiorari filed with the Supreme Court. Samsung notes that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has issued a final decision of invalidity on the ‘915 Patent, and Apple filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Circuit in the USPTO last week.
The settlement pertains to an Apple lawsuit that was decided nearly five years ago, where Samsung was found guilty of infringing a number of Apple patents, including one covering its famed pinch-to-zoom gesture on the iPhone and iPad.
