In 2012 and 2014 Apple and Samsung fought in 2 landmark US court cases, one of which is still being appealed on today. The outcome of these trials has shaped the market of smartphones as we know it today. It also literally has shaped the appearance of smartphones and led to both innovations and brand-recognizable features that we take for granted in our electronics. As each of the trials was multifaceted with multiple patents under dispute, this paper will analyze the trial of 2012 pertaining to design patents and the claims and decisions included, as well as the impacts of the decisions made, and come to the conclusion that the decision ultimately was socially beneficial. The first US trial of Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co that occurred …show more content…
Thus, social efficiency is damaged by this monopoly with the hope that the social benefits of increased innovation will offset this cost. In this case, the decision awarded over 1 billion of damages to be paid over a period to Apple. The decision to not file claim on certain patents allowed such design (such as rounded rectangle) functions to take over the market, while the decision to uphold the claims arguably led to alternative designs (ie bump at bottom of list instead of bounce-back, differentiated icons). There were costs to other suppliers of supplement products such as Google, and distributors such as Verizon and AT&T that had invested or signed deals with Samsung. It would be very difficult to say for certain whether this decision is socially beneficial, as technology is constantly improving, but through Samsung holding an increasing percentage of the market even after the lawsuit seems to be a positive indication. The reversal of the decision in 2016 creates even more social benefit, as other companies can now build on a proven design base with innovations produced since the 2012 court