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The verdict is in: Samsung to pay Apple $120m chump change, but gets tiny rebate

Legal warriors wax fat on both sides

The jury in the latest case of Apple verses Samsung patent infringement has reached a verdict just in time for a balmy California weekend, fining the Korean firm $119.6 million for infringing on two of Cupertino's patents.

"We are grateful to the jury and the court for their service," an Apple spokeswoman told The Register.

"Today's ruling reinforces what courts around the world have already found: that Samsung willfully stole our ideas and copied our products. We are fighting to defend the hard work that goes into beloved products like the iPhone, which our employees devote their lives to designing and delivering for our customers."

After a month-long trial, the eight-person jury found that Samsung had infringed on Apple's "quick links" patent and partially on its "slide to unlock" patent, and cleared the Koreans of two other cases of patent overreach. As a result, whereas Apple wanted wanted $2.2bn in damages, it got just $119.6m instead.

That's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but it's still not a great deal of money in the greater scheme of things. As of December, Apple has said it had spent over half that in lawyers' fees alone.

Apple will also have to use a fraction of its newly-gained loot to pay Samsung for infringing on its patent for storing and organizing files on a device. The $158,000 award to Samsung is a drop in the ocean, but a reminder that Cupertino is not an innocent when it comes to patent violations.

This is not the end of the process, however – both sides are likely to appeal the verdict, and we'll once more be treated to an identical lawyerly imbroglio.

Kill me now. ®

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