The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday reopened a longstanding patent lawsuit related to Samsung copying the design of the iPhone nearly six years ago, following an order of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court, according to court documents filed electronically this week. The court will seek to determine the exact amount Samsung owes Apple for infringing upon the iPhone's patented design, including its rectangular front face with rounded edges and grid of colorful icons on a black screen. The previous $399 million damages judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court last month. Apple's damages were calculated based on Samsung's entire profit from the sale of its infringing Galaxy smartphones, but the Supreme Court ruled it did not have enough info to say whether the amount should be based on the total device, or rather individual components such as the front bezel or the screen. It will now be up to the appeals court to decide. Apple last month said the lawsuit, ongoing since 2011, has always been about Samsung's "blatant copying" of its ideas, adding that it remains optimistic that the U.S. Court of Appeals will "again send a powerful signal that stealing isn't right." Calvin Klein, Dieter Rams, Norman Foster, and over 100 other top designers filed an amicus brief in support of Apple, arguing the iPhone maker is entitled to all profits Samsung has earned from infringing designs. They cited a 1949 study showing more than 99% of Americans could identify a bottle of Coca-Cola by shape alone. Article Link: Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit Over iPhone Design Officially Reopened
This entire case has now existing for over half as long as the iPhone has. It's been around longer than the era of the iPod (2001 - 2007).
Is this case going to ever be settled?Can't wait to see how Macrumors members feel about this latest development.
The funniest part of this all that Samsung did copy Apple in the early days. Fast forward today it's Samsung who's got innovative ideas and Apple same old, same old (+ expensive).
Well - That is a blatant copy of the the original iPhone so there should have been some damages. Seems straightforward to me.
Samsung's early Galaxy phones were shameless copies of the iPhone. It was borderline hilarious. Their modern phones, not so much (although Samsung still totally copies). Will the damages affect profits from Galaxy phones currently on shelves (like the S7 Edge) or only the first-gen Galaxies? --- Post Merged, Jan 13, 2017 --- What version of Android have you been looking at?
my wife's grandmother once asked me how to use her iPhone. I looked and said it wasn't an iPhone but another brand using (maybe) Android for the OS. she said "no, it is exactly like yours. i knew you'd be able to help me when i bought it" all that said, this is getting old. and my commenting on this thread doesn't help. :facepalm: to myself.
It is not illegal to copy ideas. It I only illegal when you copy patented ideas and we have seen many of Apple's patents ruled invalid.
Yes stealing isn't right, how dare you steal rectangular shapes and rounded corners? Please this so ridiculous, by this metric Apple stole phablet idea from Samsung, and Samsung should sue right?
Ironic that what was once a trademark design is now an eyesore with large bezels. The lawsuit has no base though since both Samsung and Apple evolved from PDAs that were rectangle with rounded corners and icon based OS.
Yay! This is great news for MacRumors! It means that the next few months won't be totally boring in the Apple news front. I feel that Apple news recently has all been kinda... blah. Finally some action!
perhaps they should just quit making lawyers and judges rich?? they are afterall still working together on new products...
To be fair, no post on this forum is going to end this BS, even if one were to post a peer-reviewed scientific study on the similarities between Galaxy and iPhones.
I don't understand why they can't forget this and move on. Bring on the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 and let consumers duke it out in the marketplace.