Samsung Did Not Willfully Infringe Apple's Patents, Says New Court Ruling
January 30, 2013
In a court ruling filed tonight in San Jose, California, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has granted judgment that Samsung did not willfully infringe Apple's patents.
As noted by The Verge, the patents in question are the seven patents involved in the landmark Apple vs. Samsung case that concluded in August last year.
The case ultimately saw a jury finding five of the instances of patent infringement willful and reaching a verdict in favor of Apple. As a result, the Cupertino-based company was awarded no less than $1 billion in damages.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung promptly sought to have some of the jury's findings overturned. In addition, the South Korean company motioned for a new trial.
Now, it appears that the former request has been fulfilled to some extent, while the latter has been declined altogether.
As stated in the ruling, the aggregate of Apple's arguments that Samsung's infringement was willful was not enough for Apple to meet "its burden to show willfulness by clear and convincing evidence."
Also, as succinctly put by The Verge, Judge Koh believed that "Samsung went into the whole situation with a reasonable belief that it wasn't in the wrong."
Consequently, no additional damages will be awarded to Apple.
As for Samsung's attempt to secure a new trial, Judge Koh ruled that "a new trial would be contrary to the interests of justice" since the original trial was already "fairly conducted."
To read the court ruling in its entirety, please click here.
Source: U.S. District Court
Via: The Verge
