Apple demanding $180M more from Samsung in patent case

You know what they say about being over until a certain lady sings. Samsung and Apple may have agreed to no longer sue each other over patents and Samsung may have "somewhat" agreed to pay Apple $548 million in damages from its 2012 patent tussle with Apple, but the case is really far, far from being over. Now Apple wants to squeeze out $180 million more from the South Korean manufacturer, pouring salt over Samsung's wounds. Or it could also be a tactic to dissuade Samsung from further contesting the damages as well as the entire patent system.

The jury has already found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's patents. It even awarded Apple damages amounting to a billion dollars. Samsung has probably thanked its lucky stars that the price was reduced to nearly half that amount. After several rounds of trying to get the patents invalidated or the cost further down, Samsung finally agreed to pay that amount. Of course, the real picture isn't as simple as that.

Samsung says it reserves the right to seek reimbursement, an assertion that didn't sit well with Apple. The reason for that is that Samsung is not only still contesting the validity of the patents themselves, it has also brought the matter to the attention of the US Supreme Court, questioning the interpretation and implementation of an outdated patent system. The country's highest court has yet to respond to whether it will even consider the case.

As if in retaliation, Apple has demanded an additional $180 million on top of the $548 million in damages it says Samsung owes it. That sum is actually split between $178.7 million in supplemental damages and $1.2 million in prejudgement interest. Neither company have made any comments on this recent development.

SOURCE: FOSS Patents

VIA: CNET