It looks like the folks over at Samsung have received some sort of reprieve, especially after word has gotten out that Samsung is no longer liable to fork out all $930 million in damages which Apple was awarded three years ago (from a $3 billion ask), at least this is what a ruling from a U.S. appeals court was earlier this morning. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., has agreed with a California federal jury, citing that Samsung did in fact, violate Apple design and utility patents that were related to the iPhone.
The thing is, the appeals court has reversed the jury’s finding that Samsung did infringe on Apple’s trade dress, in addition to the overall look as well as product packaging. Do take note, however, that this does not mean Samsung is off the hook entirely – it just translates to how the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, has more paperwork to do since they must recalculate the portion of the settlement where trade dress is concerned.
The appeals court did mention that the aesthetics of an iPhone cannot be protected, which makes sense to me on a personal level. How about you, do you think that the iPhone’s rounded edges alongside other features related to the device’s appearance would allow the smartphone to be unique in itself?
Filed in . Read more about Legal, Patent and Samsung. Source: pcworld