14 DAY TRIAL // Bad news for Samsung, as the company is very close to being forced to pay about $120 million in damages to Apple after the U.S. Court denied the South Korean's company appeal.
The rivalry between Samsung and Apple goes beyond the smartphone market, and more often than not the giants cross swords in courtrooms.
Patent clashes between the two companies are legendary and seem to never end. There are lawsuits that last decades before a final ruling is made and one of the parties is declared the winner.
One of these lawsuits received a verdict back in 2014, when both Apple and Samsung were found guilty of infringing on each other's patents.
However, whereas Apple sought $2.2 billion in damages, the court ordered the South Korean company to pay $119.6 million in damages for infringing on three Apple patents.
On the other hand, Apple was found guilty of infringing on one Samsung patent and ordered to pay $158,400 in damages. Notice the big difference between the amounts the companies must pay each other.
Overturning the overturn
Anyway, Samsung filed an appeal that got the verdict overturned in its favor early this year. But Apple disagreed and once again moved for a review before a full court, which overturned the overturn and ruled, once again, in Apple's favor, thus restoring the $119.6 million in damages order.
The South Korean company has decided to move to the U.S. Court of Appeals to try and get rid of the previous ruling, but the court has denied it.
Now Samsung has one more option before the ruling becomes mandatory and the company must pay the amount ordered.
Basically, the Supreme Court is now the last wall of defense for Samsung, as the company hopes to overturn the ruling in Apple's favor.
A verdict is expected to be given by the Supreme Court by June next year, so we will be hearing about this again in the not so distant future.