Reuters:
Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday settled a seven-year patent dispute over Apple’s allegations that Samsung violated its patents by “slavishly” copying the design of the iPhone.
In May, a U.S. jury awarded Apple $539 million, after Samsung had previously paid Apple $399 million to compensate for patent infringement. Samsung would need to make an additional payment to Apple of nearly $140 million if the verdict was upheld. How much, if anything, Samsung must now pay Apple under Wednesday’s settlement could not immediately be learned.
This puts the lawsuit to bed – until the next time Samsung copies Apple.
So long overdue. As Gruber put it, an Apple story truly worthy of a FINALLY. It’s ludicrous Apple and Samsung let this go on so long. Once Apple won the case, and once Samsung admitted in court they had copied elements of the iPhone to get their first Androids out the door, a settlement should have happened immediately. The money being argued was sofa cushion money to these companies, and the endless appeals benefited no one but the lawyers. Such a waste.