• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Apple wins big in Samsung case, awarded over $1 billion

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 24, 2012, 7:12 PM ET

llustration: Vicki Behringer

FORTUNE — Despite the complexity of the case and the billions of dollars at stake, the jury that heard Apple’s (AAPL) patent infringement suit against Samsung needed only three days to reach a consensus.

Apple didn’t get everything it asked for, but it got plenty.

As the foreperson began reading the 20-page verdict form — which required the jurors to rule on whether more than a dozen Samsung devices made by three different Samsung divisions violated one of several Apple patents — most of the answers were “yes” with a few “no”s scattered among them.

Among the patents Samsung infringed were the so-called bounce-back feature and, for most devices, the multitouch feature known as “pinch to zoom.”

According to several live blogs (see here and here), the jury recommended that Apple be awarded more than $1 billion — a figure that could grow considerably because the jury also found that Samsung’s infringements were “willful.”

As for Samsung’s claims against Apple, the jury seems to have shot them all down.

MORE: 19 incredible Apple secrets revealed in court

It’s going to take some time to digest the impact of the multipart verdict, but as The Verge‘s Bryan Bishop put it as he began recording the yeas and nays: “This is it. This is history.”

Samsung is almost certain to appeal the verdict, but Apple’s hand in the booming smartphone market has already been considerably strengthened. It may now ask the court to block the sale of any of the devices found to have infringed its patents. These include some of Samsung’s most popular smartphones, such as the Fascinate, Epic 4G and Galaxy S II.

Apple’s shares, which closed at $663.22 Friday, shot up roughly $12 in after hours trading. Google (GOOG), whose Android operating system the Samsung devices run, fell as much as $8 after the markets closed.

See: Will Apple now sue Google?

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
OpenAI’s Sam Altman says his highly disciplined daily routine has ‘fallen to crap’—and now unwinds on weekends at a ranch with no cell phone service
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 5, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
After decades in the music industry, Pharrell Williams admits he never stops working: ‘If you do what you love everyday, you’ll get paid for free'
By Emma BurleighFebruary 3, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Travel & Leisure
How Japan replaced France as the country young Americans obsessively romanticize—they’re longing for civility they don’t see at home
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Ray Dalio warns the world is ‘on the brink’ of a capital war of weaponizing money—and gold is the best way for people to protect themselves
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 4, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump is giving the U.S. economy a $65 billion tax-refund shot in the arm, mostly for higher-income people, BofA says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
1 day ago

Latest in

North Americademographics
U.S. births dropped last year, offsetting 2024’s increase and dashing hopes for an upward trend
By Mike Stobbe and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
2 hours ago
PoliticsBarack Obama
Trump’s racist post about Obamas is deleted after bipartisan backlash. The White House initially defended it, then blamed a staffer
By Bill Barrow, Josh Boak and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
2 hours ago
CryptoBitcoin
What caused the massive Bitcoin crash? Clues point to a blow-up at Hong Kong hedge funds
By Jeff John RobertsFebruary 6, 2026
4 hours ago
InvestingDow Jones Industrial Average
Dow soars by 1,200 points to top 50,000 for the first time as chipmakers and airlines lead ferocious stock market rebound
By Stan Choe and The Associated PressFebruary 6, 2026
4 hours ago
CEO and co-founder of Anthropic Dario Amodei speaking on stage.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s newest model excels at finding security vulnerabilities—but raises fresh cybersecurity risks
By Beatrice NolanFebruary 6, 2026
6 hours ago
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Best certificates of deposit (CDs) for February 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganFebruary 6, 2026
6 hours ago