The final post-trial ruling on the legal battle between Apple and Samsung is in, and the South Korean company is getting something of a reprieve.
Back in August, a jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in payments from Samsung over patent violations, but a U.S. District Court judge lowered that number by $450.5 million on Monday, due to what she called an error in calculation by the jury.
According to Information Week, Judge Koh reasoned that "the jury had not properly followed her instructions in arriving at its award. Damages had been figured in an excessive manner for a dozen Samsung products listed in the case."
It's hard to really spin the decision as good news, considering that Samsung still owes Apple almost $600 million, but it's surely a welcome development for a company that plans to appeal the decision regardless. Apple had actually asked the court to award it more money in the form of damages, but Judge Koh denied the request.
The ruling is consistent with what Judge Koh ordered in the previous three post-trial rulings. Samsung was denied the request for a new trial, meaning it would have to face the consequences of the jury's ruling; at the same time, it was found that while Samsung did infringe on Apple's patents, it did not do so "willfully." Because of that, Apple could not seek further damages, and Judge Koh left the door open to the possibility that the $1.05 billion sum would be reduced.
While Apple did come out of this trial $600 billion richer, payment courtesy of Samsung, both parties are expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. District Court of Appeals.
The two electronics giants aren't just battling in the United States; their legal drama has spread all over the world. Last week, a Japanese court ruled that Apple did not infringe on Samsung's data-sending patents, and the Korean company lost its chance at kicking iPhones and iPads out of the Japanese market.
(Edited by Lois Heyman)
