Apple Inc., which has been pretty active in the courts lately, has filed suit against Samsung Electronics Co. The suit, over patents for technology used in smartphones and tablets such as the iPhone and iPad, seeks $2.525 billion in damages. The world’s largest consumer electronics companies were scheduled to start a trial on July 30th in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California. Since this issue went to the printer on that same day, we don’t know if the trial started or if the matter was settled. In this suit, Apple accused Samsung of infringing its patents by making its popular Galaxy phone and computer tablets “work and look” like Apple products, enabling the South Korean company to overtake it as the world’s largest maker of smart phones.

Samsung countered by saying that it simply developed its own “unique” products in a bid to “best the competition.” Samsung says Apple actually owes it money for using its patented technology. Apple alleged that Samsung owes “substantial monetary damages” because it illegally “chose to compete by copying Apple.” Apple said Samsung has been “unjustly enriched” by an undisclosed amount — presumably $2 billion — and has deprived Apple of $500 million of profit and $25 million of reasonable royalty damages. Apple still plans to pursue a permanent injunction to stop future violations. Samsung said Apple was trying “to stifle legitimate competition and limit consumer choice to maintain its historically exorbitant profits.”

Source: Insurance Journal