A US court has ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05bn in damages for infringing intellectual property.

The jury decided several Samsung devices had infringed US iPhone-maker Apple’s software and design patents, and rejected counter-claims by Samsung, the BBC reports.  Apple will now seek import bans on several of its rival’s products. Samsung has said it will appeal. The ruling is one of the most significant in a global battle over patents and intellectual property.

Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy

 In other parts of the world Apple had different outcomes to their court cases. In South Korea ruled that both technology firms had copied each other, while a British court threw out claims by the US company that Samsung had infringed its copyright.

But the year-long US case has involved some of the biggest damages claims, and is likely to shape the way patent licences are handled in the future. Samsung promised to appeal against the decision describing it as “a loss for the American consumer”. Samsung stated,  “It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices,” the South Korean firm said. Samsung further added, that it was “unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners“.

 Apple, however, said it applauded the court “for finding Samsung’s behaviour wilful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right”.

Apple said it intended to seek sales injunctions at a follow-up hearing on 20 September.

The two firms account for more than half of global smartphone and tablet computer sales.

It is interesting to note that Windows based smartphones have a similar version of the rectangle on the touch screens. Consider the Nokia Lumina 800 below:

Nokia Lumina 800

It can be seen that the Nokia smartphone has a similar display of the icons as the Samsung and iPhone. Will Nokia/Google be the next victim of Apple’s slanted view of what or what is not a breach of patent law?

Remember that these three phones use different OS’. Apple uses its proprietary OS, iOS; Samsung uses the Android OS as developed by Google and used under licence; and Nokia uses the Windows Mobile OS under licence from Microsoft. You will remember too that Windows has used the icon on their home screen for nearly every edition of the Windows OS. The bottom line here is that three different OS’ all use the rectangle with rounded corners, aka “the icon” to activate the attached app or program. Yes Google does call their programs, apps. Could this be a breach of an Apple copyright too? Or, could it be that Apple has actually breached a Windows icon patent? Where does it stop?

Source: MINA (as edited)