In a Big Win for Apple, Appeals Court Reinstates Jury Verdict

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC reinstated the $119.6 million that a San Jose, California jury awarded Apple against Samsung. The recent ruling was 8-3, representing a full slate of judges, unlike the previous three-judge panel that, this last February, overturned the original verdict. The judges in the latest ruling stated that that panel examined evidence outside the record of the case, contrary to U.S. Supreme Court limits on the scope of review.

Reuters reports that the recent ruling also found “significant evidence” of Samsung’s infringement of Apple patents, including its “slide-to-unlock and autocorrect features, as well as quick links, which automatically turn information like addresses and phone numbers into links.” The ruling also upholds the jury’s finding that “Apple infringed a Samsung patent on digital photo technology,” with an associated $158,400 in damages.

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“Friday’s ruling is based on a procedural issue rather than a disagreement over patent law,” says University of Richmond School of Law professor James Gibson. “But this seemingly pedestrian ruling is an important precedent for those who want patent protection going forward — and it’s a big win for Apple.”

In a separate case, Samsung paid Apple $548.2 million in December, although part of “that dispute has been appealed to the Supreme Court, which will hear it on Tuesday.” In the ongoing battles between the two companies over mobile technology patents, Apple has been the bigger winner thus far.

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