Apple and Samsung are set to battle it out in court in one of the biggest patent court cases of its kind. The two companies, who have been slinging mud at each other for some time, are fighting a case that concerns intellectual property infringement and it will be heard by a court in California later today.
This case, which was prompted by a suit from Apple followed by a counter-suit by Samsung last April, has the former claiming $2.5 billion in damages. They maintain Samsung copied the iPhone’s design and the figure mentioned above could treble if they’re is found guilty. There are seven patents involved in the original claim and it also includes a charge that Samsung copied the iPad as well.
Apple stated: “Samsung must play by the rules. It must invent its own stuff. Its flagrant copying and massive infringement must stop.”
On the other side of the fence Samsung wants a “reasonable royalty rate” for five patents it alleges Apple infringed relating to, amongst other things, a phone’s use of 3G technologies. Samsung hasn’t specified an amount and they’re thought to want around 2.4 percent of each device sold – an amount Apple says will be “$14.40 per unit”.
Samsung’s statement ahead of the case read as follows: “Apple’s overreaching claim for damages is a natural extension of its attempts to monopolise the marketplace… It seeks to collect ‘lost profits’ despite the fact that no one buys phones because they have ‘bounce back’ feature or other manifestations of Apple’s alleged inventions.”
After being accused, Samsung have claimed that much of Apple’s design ideas are influenced by Sony prototypes. The case is likely to run for around four weeks where various evidence will be heard before an eventual verdict.
Why is Apple so worried about Samsung in particular though?
It has something to do with the stratospheric growth being experienced by the Korean firm. Statista’s latest chart of the day, which you can see on the right, shows just how astounding the growth has been on a global scale. Samsung’s share has almost doubled from 17 percent in Q2 2011 to 32.6 percent in the equivalent quarter this year. Compare that to Apple, who achieved 18.8 percent in Q2 11 to 16.9 percent in Q2 12, and you can see why they started the lawsuits way back when.
Patent cases have become the scourge for which the technology industry has become known. It even moved one U.S. judge that is dealing with another case, between Apple and Motorola Mobility, to question the whole system of patents and it doesn’t look like there’s any let up in the constant stream of cases.
