After a joint statement was filed in Federal Court in San Jose, Calif, Samsung approved a decision to pay off US$ 548 million for settling a patent infringement lawsuit that was filed five year earlier. Apple on the other hand was asking for more than US$ 2 billion. However the judicial hearing was based upon US$ 1 rather.
The lawsuit (one of more than 50 Apple and Samsung filed against each other in at least 20 countries) was a point of main focus of all around the globe as most watched patent trails very closely that kept on fluctuating. Let’s have a brief look at how it happened.
YEAR 2007
January: An idea of iPhone comes to a market platform by Steve Jobs. Upon this he had stated: ““Boy have we patented it.”
June: Apple released its very first Smartphone i.e. iPhone.
December: Google announced to launch Open Handset Alliance (members: Sony, HTC and Samsung)
YEAR 2008
October: Launch of Android based HTC Dream with a swing-out keyboard.
YEAR 2010
January: Google in collaboration with HTC released Nexus One having a touchscreen keyboard and multi-touch gestures.
March: Apple sued HTC and Steve Job swore to go thermonuclear on Android.
December: Samsung released Nexus One’s version Nexus S.
YEAR 2011
April: Apple sued Samsung claiming infringement of patents, user interface, style and trademarks while Samsung as a result claimed infringement of mobile-communications patents.
YEAR 2012
July: Apple and Samsung appeared in front of judiciary in California.
August: Jury returned verdict. Apple was awarded US$ 1.05 billion while there was US$ 0 for Samsung in share.
December: As per Judge Koh, there was an error of US$ 400 million. Moreover, he denied Apple’s motion to halt U.S. sales of Samsung’s infringing devices.
YEAR 2013
November: In a retrial, Apple was awarded US$ 290 million
YEAR 2014
April: The second re-trial took place between Samsung and Apple where Samsung was awarded with US$ 160,000 and Apple with US$ 120 million.
YEAR 2015
December: Samsung has given consent to pay Apple US$ 548 million.
