Apple vs. Samsung Patent Lawsuit: Google Helped Pay Samsung's Legal Defense Fees
While the Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement trial continues, a bombshell was dropped as court testimony revealed Google's participation with the lawsuit.
Emails exchanged between Google and Samsung were revealed during the patent infringement trial in San Jose, Calif., and showed the search-engine company helped pay for Samsung's defense fees against Apple.
Google's patent attorney James Maccoun confirmed the validity of the emails between Google and Samsung, which occurred from 2012. According to Maccoun, Google will "defend and indemnify" Samsung for its use of technology that Apple claimed were infringed.
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"I see [indemnify] as a general term relating to providing a defense against claims and then can mean other things depending on the outcome of litigation," said Maccoun during his deposition in the Apple vs. Samsung trial, via CNET.
Maccoun stated the assistance in Samsung's defense fees were part of a "strategic agreement" with the South Korean-based company due to the "Mobile Application Distribution Agreement" (MADA). The MADA required Samsung to include Google apps on Galaxy devices.
The current patent infringement trial is the second in the United States (U.S.) between Apple and Samsung. The first trial concluded in August 2012 when a jury awarded Apple more than $1 billion in damages against Samsung. U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh would later reduce the financial damages to $929.8 million. Judge Koh is also presiding the second patent trial.
For the second patent infringement trial, Apple claimed Samsung infringed five patents include autocomplete, data synchronization, phone-number tapping, slide to unlock, and search functions. The allegedly infringed patents are mostly featured on Android devices, which is Google's mobile operating system.
As Latin Post reported, Yale University School of Management Professor of economics and finance Judith Chevalier, speaking as a Samsung expert witness, stated Samsung might owe Apple at least $38.4 million for the 37 million allegedly infringed devices. Chevalier's calculations were 35 cents per patent for every device infringed. Her projections are low compared to Apple's arguments that Samsung owes $2.19 billion for the five infringed patents, which equated to nearly $40 per alleged-infringed Samsung device.
Samsung rested its defense case after Chevalier's testimony but continued to call witnesses for its counter lawsuit against Apple. Samsung, in its countersuit, claimed Apple infringed two of its patents and wants $7 million in damages.
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO
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