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Victory: February 2016: In Major Appellate Victory for Samsung, Quinn Emanuel Wipes Out Apple’s $120 Million Judgment In Smartphone Patent Wars

February 2016

In a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that press reports labeled “a major victory for Samsung in a yearslong, multicase patent dispute over smartphones,”  Quinn Emanuel won an appellate victory that completely eliminated a $120 million judgment that Apple had obtained against Samsung in the Northern District of California.   In the second of two trials in that court, Apple had sued Samsung for infringement of five patents, demanding more than $2 billion in damages.  Quinn Emanuel succeeded at trial in limiting Apple’s damages to $120 million for supposed infringement of three patents.  On Quinn Emanuel’s appeal, the Federal Circuit reversed as to all three, holding that Samsung did not infringe Apple’s ’647 (Quick Links) patent and that Apple’s ’721 (Slide to Unlock) and ’172 (Auto Correct) patents are invalid as obvious in light of the prior art.  At the same time, the Federal Circuit affirmed all the rulings Quinn Emanuel won at trial, including the jury’s findings that Samsung did not infringe Apple’s ’959 (Remote and Local Search) patent or Apple’s ‘414  (synchronization) patent, and that Apple infringed Samsung’s ‘449 (compressing and organizing photos) patent.  With this ruling, Samsung emerges as the net winner:  the only remaining damages are $158,400 that Apple owes to Samsungfor infringement of Samsung’s ’449 patent.