South Korean tech giant Samsung apparently had another surprise up its sleeve which it sprang on Monday, Dec. 14. It is the eve when its agreed $548 million payment to rival Apple is due to settle out of court their numerous patent battles across the globe.
On that day, Samsung appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the U.S. District Court of Northern California in favor of the Cupertino-based tech firm. The financial settlement would have ended their prolonged court battles since 2012 over design features which could have cost the two smartphone makers up to $2.5 billion damages, repots ZDNET.
At the heart of the lawsuit are basic design elements of Samsung smartphones, particularly the rectangle shape with round corners and a touchscreen display made of smaller icons which Apple accuses Samsung of copying, reports The Wall Street Journal. Samsung insists these shared featured are "functional, not ornamental."
Explaining their legal maneuver, Samsung says, "While Samsung prefers to compete in the marketplace, not the courtroom, the company feels that it is important to appeal this case to the US Supreme Court on behalf of all US companies, big and small, that could be affected if this legal precedent stands," quotes Associated Press.
Moreover, Samsung believes that almost $400 million of the damages, was unfairly awarded to Apple. After a failed attempt to contest the damages at the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Seoul-based phonemaker found in August it could appeal the decision.
Even if Apple, when it receives the payment, said it would withdraw its request for the court to enforce the judgement, under their agreement, Apple and Samsung could still continue to pursue the current lawsuits in U.S. courts.
Samsung insists that smartphones have many features that provide the gadget functionality that are totally not related to their design. The company contends, "Even if the patented features contributed one percent of the value of Samsung's phones, Apple gets 100 per cent of Apple's profits."
However, Apple emphasizes it is not about money but values. "We applaud the court for finding Samsung's behaviour willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn't right."