Well, looks like the verdict is officially out: Samsung is a big copycat. Wired reports that the jury ruled today in Apple's favor in the longstanding courtroom battle against Samsung in a Northern California District courtroom. Samsung has been ordered to pay more than $1 billion in damages for violating Apple's patents for its iPad tablet design.
The court ruled that Samsung had infringed upon patents relating to user interface design (like scrolling and multi-touch), as well as physical design. Samsung could not convince the court that it hadn't taken its design ideas from Apple's iPad.
Of course, if you're familiar with our weekly Law & Apple column, you'll know that this isn't even the first round of the fight between Apple and Samsung. The two technology giants have already had their fair share of litigation showdown in Germany, and just today a South Korean court ruled that Apple and Samsung both owe each other for penalties.
Though it's a dreary day for the future of Samsung's Android tablets, it'll be interesting to see how this particular trial will have its impact on innovation in technology. What will companies come up with if they can no longer mirror Apple's flawless design strategies? Will it continue to put Apple in the lead, with other companies trailing far behind?
One thing is for certain: Apple has another $1.05 billion to work with now to continue to make its products the ones to imitate.
