Samsung announces payment of damages worth $548 million to Apple

The Apple vs Samsung patent infringement dispute has been going on for quite some time now and initially Apple was awarded nearly a billion dollars in damages which were later brought down to around the $500 million mark following a series of suits and countersuits between the two companies. Last month Samsung had filed a petition before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to get an en banc rehearing on whether or not Apple could enforce damage payments, that petition was denied. Now a joint statement has been filed by Apple and Samsung before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California announcing that Samsung has made arrangements to complete the $548 million damages payment to Apple.

The company is now waiting to receive the original invoice from Apple and if it arrives before the weekend, Samsung will make the payment by December 14. However there's an interesting element in the case management statement which indicates that Apple may not be able to hold on to these funds forever.

Samsung continues to reserve all rights to obtain reimbursement from Apple and/or payment by Apple of all amounts required to be paid as taxes. […] Samsung further reserves all rights to reclaim or obtain reimbursement of any judgment amounts paid by Samsung to any entity in the event the partial judgment is reversed, modified, vacated or set aside on appeal or otherwise, including as a result of any proceedings before the USPTO addressing the patents at issue or as a result of any petition for writ of certiorari filed with the Supreme Court. Samsung notes that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has issued a final decision of invalidity on the ‘915 Patent, and Apple filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Circuit in the USPTO last week.

For its part Apple says that it disputes Samsung's “asserted rights” to reimbursement. What this basically means is that even though Samsung is now going to make a physical payment to Apple almost five years after this legal drama began it doesn't intend to give up and will demand a refund if the situation changes down the line.

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