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Jury rules in favor of Apple, rewards $1bn in damages

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Court finds Samsung guilty of infringement on Apple patents, required to pay damages in return

Apple and Samsung have been fighting over patents since last April, when Apple originally filed suit, and the courts have finally reached a decision. After deliberation, the jury has come to a landmark decision that finds Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple’s patents and has required they pay damages.

The physical trial between the two parties had only been ongoing for the past 4 weeks, where Samsung and Apple each presented their side of the story, and after a few days of deliberation the jury reached their decision. In the ruling, the jury found that various Samsung devices infringed on patents for Apple’s “look-and-feel”, including the bounce-back and pinch to zoom functionalities. Cupertino’s lawyers originally sought $2.5 billion in damages, and even though the jury only ruled for $1.05 billion today, they also decided that Apple had done nothing wrong and would not be required to offer anything in return.

Although Samsung is expected to appeal the decision, this ruling will likely make other manufacturers very wary. With Samsung’s Touchwiz OS built upon Google’s Android, other makers will have to ensure that their takes on Android remain "Apple-friendly" and the decision could impact current lawsuits against Motorola and HTC. Of course, Samsung’s appeal could end up in their favor, but in the meantime Apple’s lawyers must be happy in adding more money to the company’s coffers. 

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Omar Qudsi, 2012-08-25 (Update: 2012-08-25)