Samsung, Apple rally employees after US patent verdict

Samsung has vowed to continue its legal fight against Apple following last Friday’s US court decision in Apple’s favor. In an internal memo to employees, which was posted to Samsung’s official blog on Monday, Samsung said that the verdict has “caused concern” for employees and customers alike, but said that it is determined to prove the value of its innovations in the marketplace. Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a memo to Apple employees declaring that “values have won.”

Samsung wrote to its employees, “The [Northern District of California] 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.”

A US jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages last week following a heated court case between the two companies. But the $1.05 billion could just be the beginning—it’s less than the $2.75 billion that Apple originally wanted, but the fine has the potential to go up since Samsung’s patent infringement was largely found to be willful. In that case, the damages could be tripled, though such an action has been historically uncommon.

Following Friday’s decision, Cook was quick to declare victory to Apple’s own employees. His full memo, published at 9to5Mac, says the company chose legal action “very reluctantly and only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying our work.” Cook went on to explain that the litigation has been about values, originality, and innovation—not money.

“The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than we knew,” Cook wrote. “I am very proud of the work that each of you do. Today, values have won and I hope the whole world listens.”

Cook’s statements largely mirror the official statement issued by Apple spokesperson Katie Cotton. Samsung, on the other hand, called the verdict a loss for the American consumer.