Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
Apple win in appeals court ruling may force Samsung to change one of its products
August 24, 2025
In May 2014, a jury decided that monetary damages were ample compensation forSamsung’sinfringementof three Apple patents. However, this Thursday a US appeals court ruled that monetary compensation wasn’t enough, and thatAppleshould be able to “exclude competitors from using one’s property rights.”
Originally,the lower courtsrequired Apple to show that these infringing features in question werethemain reason why consumers purchased these devices in the first place. Two of the three judges in the appeals said that it should have only been necessary to prove that Apple lost sales because Samsung’s products contained the California company’s patented features.
The court explains:
After vacating the district court’s original decision, the appeals court returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration. This ruling may mean that Samsung will have to change some infringing aspects of their tablets and smartphones. However, Samsung says that only one of its current devices is using one of the patented features discussed by this case, so overall, Samsung may not be taking a big loss after all.
In response to this ruling, Samsung released a statement that reads:
Some major tech companies like Google, Facebook, eBay, and Hewlett-Packard expressed concern in July that a ruling in favor of Apple might have “significant detrimental consequences for the continued development of useful modern technologies,” and would give Apple unfair leverage for its own gain.
The patented technologies Apple claims were stolen by Samsung include swipe-to-unlock capabilities, automatic spelling correction, and the ability to tap phone numbers in emails to dial them.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
