The jury in the Apple v. Samsung damages retrial came to a verdict on Thursday, finding that Samsung now owes an additional $290 million. This brings the total damages bill for Samsung to around $900 million for the entire affair.
Apple and Samsung locked horns in the same San Jose District Court last year to discuss the same patents, with this retrial set to specifically determine the damages Samsung will have to pay. US District Court Judge Lucy Koh emphasized that jury members would not be deciding whether Samsung had infringed the five patents in question—last year's jury already did that—but how much Samsung owed Apple.
While last year's jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, Judge Koh reduced that amount by $450 million, saying that the jury awarded damages improperly for a handful of phones found to infringe Apple patents and trade dress.
This latest damages trial affects older Samsung phones like the Fascinate, Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S II Showcase, Mesmerize, and Vibrant. The verdict's amount is a bit less than what Apple had wanted, but it's far more than what Samsung argued for.
A second patent trial, based on newer products like the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy 4, is scheduled for March 2014.This month’s damages retrial was by all accounts largely a rehashing of last year’s blockbuster drama. However, this time included a few bizarre moments like accusations of racism against one of Apple’s attorneys.
According to CNET, Samsung filed an emergency motion to stay after the US Patent and Trademark Office said an Apple patent important to the damages case might not be valid. Judge Koh has yet to rule on this motion.
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