Case study: Apple – Samsung lawsuit

The intellectual property infringement lawsuit between the two tech giants Apple and Samsung, also known as the smartphone patent war, began in 2010. Apple notified Samsung that it was infringing on some of Apple’s intellectual property rights and proposed a licensing agreement with royalty fees (30 USD per smartphone, 40 USD per tablet), but Samsung refused.

In April 2011, Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the United States, alleging infringement of 4 design patents, 3 utility patents, and trade dress protection for the product’s distinctive appearance. Samsung countersued, accusing Apple of infringing on 5 utility patents related to 3G technology and 1 design patent. Additionally, Samsung also sued Apple in three other countries: Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Subsequently, both parties expanded the litigation to many other countries, and the battle spread to 10 countries with approximately 50 lawsuits.

In February 2012, Apple initiated a second lawsuit against Samsung in the United States, accusing Samsung of infringing on 5 utility patents. Samsung countersued, alleging that Apple infringed on 2 utility patents.

In August 2012, the jury ruled on the first lawsuit, determining that Samsung infringed on 4 design patents, 3 utility patents, and certain trade dress elements of Apple, while Apple did not infringe on Samsung’s patents. The jury awarded Apple over 1 billion USD in damages.

In May 2014, the jury ruled on the second lawsuit, finding that Samsung infringed on 3 utility patents of Apple, and Apple infringed on 1 utility patent of Samsung. The jury awarded Samsung 119,625,000 USD in damages, and Apple was ordered to pay Samsung 158,400 USD. After several subsequent trials, in 2018, Apple and Samsung reached an agreement to stop all ongoing litigation, bringing an end to the 7-year-long dispute.