Case Overview:Apple and Samsung have a long history of patent disputes and claims throughout the years. In this recent dispute, a panel of appeal judges overturned Apple's original $120 million claim against Samsung. In terms of the appeal judges rationale for overturning the decisions, prior art was widely cited as a key reason for this successful appeal on Samsung's part. A Huffington post article titled "Why Apple's Defeat to Samsung Was a Victory for Innovation" argues that this decision "will stop the smartphone patent wars." and finds this beneficial for the industry as a whole. Specifically, the author questions the necessity of such patents due to "an era in which technology is advancing so rapidly that it makes entire computing platforms obsolete in less time than it takes to be awarded a patent." I am curious to see what various opinions are regarding this justification. Should the speed of an industry affect legal decsisions?
Case Specifics:
In terms of specific patents, the first 5,946,647 dealt with "how to turn phone numbers and other software 'structures' into links instead of copy pasting. The original jury outlined an award of $98.7 million for this claim. The second, 8,046,721 dealt with the slide to unlock feature and was tossed out due to prior art. Finally, 8,074,172 dealt with the autocorrect functionality in iPhones and was also dismissed in appeals due to prior art.
A Win for Samsung; A Win for Innovation?
Apple originally sought out "2.2 billion" for damages in the dispute but were provided $120 million in the initial award. After the appeal, this can be seen as a big win for Samsung, but is it truly a win in favor of innovation in the smartphone race as the Huffington post article supposes? Are judges taking into consideration factors such as industry speed or are attitudes shifting to dismiss such grand claims? It is clear, however, that it seems that judges are taking a closer look at such disputes.
Sources:
- http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/appeals-court-reverses-apple-v-samsung-ii-strips-away-apples-120m-jury-verdict/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vivek-wadhwa/why-apples-defeat-to-samsung-was-a-victory-for-innovation_b_9382964.html
Hey Siddarth!
ReplyDeleteGreat read! It is really curious that they're actually questioning the necessity of these patents and if the speed that they come out isn't able to keep up with the patent verification process so it the new innovations make the old one obsolete. They probably build upon each other though?