Consumer Electronics

Apple's Huge Samsung Legal Battle

samsung-galaxy-s5
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Late Friday afternoon, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) filed a motion to ban smartphones made by Samsung Electronics that Apple claims infringe on its patents.

A-ha, you’re thinking, a jury awarded Apple a judgment of $120 million in that case early in May, so let’s move along, there’s nothing to see here. In fact, Apple thanked the jury for its decision, saying, “We are grateful to the jury and the court for their service.”

The company may have been grateful, but it isn’t satisfied. Apple on Friday not only filed a motion to ban sales of several Samsung phones, the Cupertino company also filed a request for a retrial in the case that resulted in the $120 million award. Apple was seeking $2.2 billion, and the $120 million probably doesn’t even cover its legal fees.

Apple tried in 2012 to get a federal court judge to ban sales of Samsung smartphones after winning a decision in a similar case, but the judge denied the request saying that Apple did not make a compelling argument that sales of the phones would irreparably harm its business. Why Apple is trying the same argument again (on the same judge) is anybody’s guess.

What makes Apple’s actions look especially silly is that the smartphones and tablets in question are all older models. The most recent is the Galaxy SIII and the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Samsung has been selling the Galaxy S5 smartphone and Galaxy Tab 3 for some months now and the effect a ban on sales will have on older phones is certainly negligible.

Apple’s request for a retrial is based on adding Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and S5 to the list of infringing devices. If the judge allows the newer devices to be included, the impact on Samsung’s business could be far more serious. One might even say devastating.

ALSO READ: The Happiest Countries in the World

The Average American Is Losing Momentum On Their Savings Every Day (Sponsor)

If you’re like many Americans and keep your money ‘safe’ in a checking or savings account, think again. The average yield on a savings account is a paltry .4%1 today. Checking accounts are even worse.

But there is good news. To win qualified customers, some accounts are paying more than 7x the national average. That’s an incredible way to keep your money safe and earn more at the same time. Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn a $200 bonus and up to 7X the national average with qualifying deposits. Terms apply. Member, FDIC.

Click here to see how much more you could be earning on your savings today. It takes just a few minutes to open an account to make your money work for you.

1 https://www.fdic.gov/national-rates-and-rate-caps

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.