The end of Android?

[Rockntractor]

Apple Wins $1 Billion as Jury Finds Samsung Violated Patents
Published: Friday, 24 Aug 2012 | 9:32 PM ET

By: Reuters with CNBC.com

Apple scored a sweeping legal victory over Samsung Electronics on Friday as a U.S. jury found the Korean company had copied critical features of the hugely popular iPhone and iPad and awarded the U.S. company $1.05 billion in damages.

As for the countersuit, the jury found Apple did not violate any of Samsung's wireless standards or feature patents.

Shares of Apple [AAPL Loading... () ], which this week became the biggest company by market value in history, hit an all-time high of $675 in after-hours trading. Click here for the latest after-hours quote.

The verdict, which came much sooner than expected, could lead to an outright ban on sales of key Samsung products and will likely solidify Apple's dominance of the exploding mobile computing market.

A number of companies that sell smartphones based on Google's [GOOG Loading... () ] Android operating system may now face further legal challenges from Apple, a company that is already among the largest and most profitable in business history.

After the verdict, Apple's lawyers said they will file for a sales injunction against Samsung within the next seven days. The judge in the case set a Sept. 20 hearing on the proposed injunction.

Brian Love, a Santa Clara law school professor, described it as a crushing victory for Apple: "This is the best-case scenario Apple could have hoped for."

In a statement after the verdict, Apple said, "We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung's copying went far deeper than even we knew ... We applaud the court for finding Samsung's behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn't right."

Samsung also issued a post-verdict statement, saying, "Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies ... This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims."

The jury deliberated for less than three days before delivering the verdict on seven Apple patent claims and five Samsung patent claims — suggesting that the nine-person panel had little difficulty in concluding that Samsung had copied the iPhone and the iPad.

Billions of dollars in future sales hang in the balance.

Apple's charges that Samsung copied its designs and features are widely viewed as an attack on Google and its Android software, which drives Samsung's devices and has become the most-used mobile software.

Apple and Samsung, two companies that sell more than half the world's smartphones and tablets, have locked legal horns in several countries this year.

Earlier on Friday, a South Korean court found that both companies shared blame, ordering Samsung to stop selling 10 products including its Galaxy S II phone and banning Apple from selling four different products, including its iPhone 4.
Read More>http://www.cnbc.com/id/48783982

[Novaheart]

Apple's famously petty legal department just paid for all those years of nasty letters and cease and desist demands.

[LukeEDay]

Wow, I am thinking that Apple will work something out to let samsung continue to make their products?

[Rockntractor]

Bottom line, Android phones Will no longer be cheap.

Sent from my ADR6325 using Tapatalk 2

[newshutr]

You may laugh or scoff at me but I'm stating that a rebound for BlackBerry phones is coming in 2013 with the release of their BlackBerry 10 phones. A QNX OS and a TAT (The Amazing Tribe) interface, with Cascades programming model.. This may be what RIM/BlackBerry needed. Carrier/Media first impressions are very positive on it.

[Rockntractor]

You may laugh or scoff at me but I'm stating that a rebound for BlackBerry phones is coming in 2013 with the release of their BlackBerry 10 phones. A QNX OS and a TAT (The Amazing Tribe) interface, with Cascades programming model.. This may be what RIM/BlackBerry needed. Carrier/Media first impressions are very positive on it.

You are right, with android paying royalties to Apple the price will likely be the same as apple, Blackberry will once again become the affordable alternative.

[FlaGator]

You are right, with android paying royalties to Apple the price will likely be the same as apple, Blackberry will once again become the affordable alternative.

The decision effects only a few of the features on some Samsung phones and has no bearing on their tablets. I suspect that Samsung will work out some licensing agreement with Apple and things will continue on as always.

[Zafod]

The decision effects only a few of the features on some Samsung phones and has no bearing on their tablets. I suspect that Samsung will work out some licensing agreement with Apple and things will continue on as always.

this is a lawsuit against samsung not android....

[Bailey]

I heard Samsung has the patent for LTE and if apple ever goes to use that they are going to sue them as well.

[Rockntractor]

this is a lawsuit against samsung not android....

From the article in the OP.

A number of companies that sell smartphones based on Google's [GOOG Loading... () ] Android operating system may now face further legal challenges from Apple, a company that is already among the largest and most profitable in business history.