While the details have not been released, the formal ending of the patent dispute comes only a matter of a few weeks after a U.S. jury requested that Samsung pay Apple $539 million in damages for copying certain features of the original iPhone. This might suggest that the settlement has gone in Apple’s favor.
The dispute, which has been played out in courts around the world, kicked off in 2011 when Apple argued Samsung had infringed on some patents relating to its iPhone product. In 2012, Apple awarded $1 billion in damages from Samsung in U.S. court for infringing intellectual property. This first trial in San Jose, California took over a year to complete, with the jury having to get to grips with 700 contested items. This was just the start of legal battles, however.
A design patent is a 15-year registered monopoly right, which describes a new, original and ornamental design for a manufactured object. In the U.S. the term “design patents” is used, whereas in Europe “registered designs” is the technical term. The first contested items between Apple and Samsung were over the front and rear look of the original iPhone’s body, plus the graphical user interface showing the layout of apps.
Samsung appealed aspects of the 2012 award and the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. This led to Samsung being victorious, reversing much of the 2012 decision, except for the patent aspect. This culminated in the latest trial, which upheld Apple over the issue of design patent.
