The fallout from Friday's Apple Vs. Samsung verdict is still coming in, and now Samsung has released the memo it sent out to its employees, and Google has also decided to comment.
While Apple and Samsung both released statements following the verdict – and Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo to employees – there is still a lot to be said about what happened Judge Lucy Koh's courtroom last week. To that end, Samsung released an internal memo that was issued to its employees via its blog, and Google decided to jump in the fray as well seeing as all of the impacted devices were powered by Android.
The Samsung internal memo that was posted on the company blog.
We initially proposed to negotiate with Apple instead of going to court, as they had been one of our most important customers. However, Apple pressed on with a lawsuit, and we have had little choice but to counter-sue, so that we can protect our company.
Certainly, we are very disappointed by the verdict at the US District Court for the Northern District of California (NDCA), and it is regrettable that the verdict has caused concern amongst our employees, as well as our loyal customers.
However, the judge's final ruling remains, along with a number of other procedures. We will continue to do our utmost until our arguments have been accepted.
The NDCA verdict starkly contrasts decisions made by courts in a number of other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Korea, which have previously ruled that we did not copy Apple's designs. These courts also recognized our arguments concerning our standards patents.
History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth, when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.
We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritize innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt.
And the statement from Google that was provided to The Verge.
The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don't relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players — including newcomers — are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don't want anything to limit that.
Both Apple and Samsung are due back in court on Sept. 20 which will probably see Samsung arguing to have the ruling thrown out, and Apple seeking to triple the damages to $3 billion.
