Analysts who predicted that Samsung (005930) would get slaughtered by Apple (AAPL) in the biggest patent trial of the century so far, pat yourselves on the back. The jury’s verdict against Samsung on Friday was absolutely devastating in all respects as the jury found that Samsung violated multiple Apple patents with many of its big-name products. Click below for the full details.
- For patent ‘381, which describes the bouncy “rubber band” effect that occurs when scrolling on Apple devices, the jury found the following devices were guilty of infringement: The Samsung Captivate, the Continuum, the Droid Charge, the Exhibit 4G, the Galaxy Ace, the Prevail, Galaxy S 4G, the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Tab, the Gem, the Indulge, the Infuse 4G, the Mesmerize, the Nexus S, the Replenish and the Vibrant.
- For patent ‘163, which describes both double-tap zooming and centering technology on Apple devices, the jury found the follow devices guilty: The Droid Charge, the Epic 4G, the Exhibit 4G, the Fascinate, the Galaxy Ace, the Galaxy Prevail, the Galaxy X, the Galaxy S 4G, the Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Tab, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Infuse 4G, the Mesmerize, the Fascinate and the Replenish.
- For patent ‘915, which describes technology for pinch-to-zoom capabilities and one-fingered scrolling on Apple devices, the jury found that the following devices were guilty of patent infringement: The Samsung Captivate, the Continuum, the Droid Charge, the Epic 4G, the Exhibit, the Fascinate, Galaxy Prevail, the Galaxy S 4G, the Galaxy S II, the, Galaxy Tab, Tab 10.1, the Gem, the Indulge, the Infuse 4G, the Intercept, the Mesmerize, Nexus S, the Transform, and the Vibrant.
- For patent ‘677, a design patent that describes trade dress registration on the front of the iPhone, the jury found the following devices guilty: The Samsung Fascinate, the Galaxy S 4G, the Galaxy S II, the Epic 4G Touch, the Skyrocket, the Showcase, the Infuse 4G, the Mesmerize, and the Vibrant.
- For patent ‘087, a design patent that describes trade dress registration of the back of the iPhone, the jury found the following devices guilty: The Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, the Galaxy S 4G and the Vibrant.
- For patent ‘305, a design patent that describes trade dress registration for the iPhone’s home screen and icons, the jury found the following devices guilty: The Samsung Captivate, the Continuum, the Droid Charge, the Epic 4G, the Fascinate, the Galaxy S 4G, the Gem, the Indulge, the Infuse 4G, the Mesmerize and the Vibrant.
The bottom line
: Obviously, this is really bad news for Samsung. The jury ordered the company to pay Apple nearly $1.05 billion in damages for patent violations. What’s more, the jury found that Samsung willfully infringed upon five of the six patents asserted against it. Unless Samsung decides to radically redesign its phones, it’s hard to see how the company can continue selling smartphones without continued legal and financial hardships. It also sets a huge precedent in the wireless industry with competitors now realizing that they’re going to have to go back to the drawing board instead of copying Apple.
