Is Samsung Finally Calling A Truce By Paying Apple $548 Million?
It has been almost five years since Apple sued Samsung for infringing smartphone patents. Finally, Samsung has decided to pay up an amount of $548 million before the 14th of December 2015. This decisions was reached up on, after a joint court statement from both companies that agreed on it. However, the statement notes that Samsung “continues to reserve all rights to obtain reimbursement from Apple,” if the invoice is not received before the weekend; while Apple has disputed these rights in the same document.
According to reports, Samsung said that it is only paying the money because an appeals court refused to block a judgement ordering it to pay. They intend to continue pursuing reimbursement if the U.S Patent and Trademark Office invalidates the patents and if the U.S Supreme Court takes up the request for review. Both companies are said to have dropped all the non-US cases while leaving only two main disputes that still have a way to go in courts.
“I don’t think it’s over, but hopefully we’re getting close,” said Robert Stoll, a patent lawyer with Drinker Biddle in Washington
This particular sum of money ($548 million) is allegedly part of a case that dealt with Apple’s “pinch to touch” technology; that the company claims has been copied by Samsung. The patent on this has been invalidated by the PTO, but Apple is still challenging that decision.
Honestly, though we’re all sick of this fight. Both mega tech companies fighting about one copying the other. It is high time they learn to co-exist with one another regardless of who is copying whom. At the end of the day, we all know who is getting the real credit. So, if Samsung is copying Apple, the latter should only feel flattered.
