Samsung Electronics Co. scored its first victory in a global patent war with Apple Inc. on Wednesday, June 20, as a Dutch court ruled in its favor and ordered the iPhone maker to pay damages. According to analysts, the decision is mainly symbolic, but may bring the two rivals closer to a settlement in their legal disputes.
The Netherlands' District Court of The Hague ordered Apple on Wednesday to pay damages for infringing a technical communications patent in some of its products, including the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and first- and second-generation iPads. Damages will be calculated based on the number of patent-infringing devices Apple sold in the Netherlands over the period of the infringement, which the court determined to be from Aug. 4, 2010 until present. Samsung had previously tried to use four technical patents to ban Apple's devices in the country, but the Dutch court rejected the other three.
"Samsung welcomes the Court's ruling, which reaffirms Apple's free-riding of our technological innovation," the company said in a statement to the media. "In accordance with the ruling, we will seek adequate compensation for the damages Apple and its products have caused."
The ruling on Wednesday marks an important victory for Samsung, as it is the first time a court has ruled in its favor since the Korean company launched a global war against Apple alleging infringements of its technical patents. Apple initiated the dispute back in 2011, filing legal action against Samsung for allegedly "slavishly" copying the designs of its iPhone and iPad devices.
According to analysts, however, the verdict may help bring the two companies closer to settling their legal dispute, but it does not mark a significant turning point in the broader battle. "This really is nothing more than symbolic," wrote Florian Mueller. "It's not even clear that Samsung will make enough money as a result of this infringement finding to offset the €800,000 it now owes Apple in legal fees because it lost with respect to three of its four patents."
Apple and Samsung are engaged in roughly 30 patent litigation cases against each other in about 10 countries.
In a separate ruling on Thursday, June 21, an Australian federal judge ordered Apple to pay an AUS$2.25 million (US$2.29) fine for potentially misleading consumers with its advertisements of the new iPad tablet. A court in Melbourne ruled that Apple's branding of its latest iPad implied it could connect with 4G cellular networks in Australia, which was not the case, thus making the company liable to misleading consumers and breaching consumer law. Apple agreed to pay the fine, as well as another AUS$300,000 for the commission's legal costs.
