Samsung share price jumps, beats Apple Inc. in a U.S. patent case

Samsung Electronics Co., which is currently known as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, managed to defeat Apple Inc. in a patent case. This is the second time when a judge rejects a request of Apple Inc. to officially forbid more than 20 smartphones manufactured by Samsung issued in the first patent case of the companies in the U.S. in 2012.

The U.S. District judge Lucy Koh denied the request of Apple Inc. to bar the sales of some Samsung smartphones in the region because of an infringement of Apples patents. A 929.7-million-dollar penalty was approved by judge Koh against Samsung. Apple Inc., however, said that monetary damages are not as important as a sales ban.

On the other hand, Samsung Electronics Co. commented in an e-mailed statement that it is disappointed with judge Lucy Kohs “erroneous calculation” for damages. As reported by Bloomberg, the company said that it also plans to appeal the ruling of the patents infringement.

Samsung Electronics Co. is considered the leader in patent filers in Europe for a second consecutive year. According to data compiled by the European Patent Office, the company is reported to have more than 2,800 applications in comparison to Apple Inc., which ranks in 66th place.

Mr. Brian Love, who is a professor at Santa Clara University law school commented the courts ruling for Bloomberg: “The real importance of this ruling is what it tells us about Apples chances of winning a future injunction against Samsung. Right now, those chances dont look very good.”

Mr. Love also said: “Apple’s patents cover just a tiny fraction of what makes a smartphone valuable. By one estimate, there are approximately 250,000 patented inventions in a typical smartphone, and this case involves just a handful. Judge Koh understands the complexity of these products and believes, correctly in my opinion, that the features covered by Apple’s patents are, among the myriad features incorporated into smartphones, not those that drive consumers’ choices.”

More than 1 billion dollars are invested in intellectual property litigation by both companies. Samsung, however, is not the only one that is trying to get as many innovations legally protected as possible. As reported by the Financial Times, one of the partners at a London-based law firm, specializing in intellectual property, commented that Samsung is “obviously trying hard to bolster their portfolio to put themselves in a better position with regards to licensing discussions”.

Samsung Electronics Co. rose by 0.98% in Seoul to settle Fridays session at 1 339 000 KRW. According to the Financial Times, the 42 analysts offering 12-month price targets for Samsung Electronics Co. have a median target of 1,750,000, with a high estimate of 2,600,800 and a low estimate of 1,150,000. The median estimate represents a 31.58% increase from the last price.

Apple Inc. settled yesterdays session 0.30% lower, marking a one-year change of + 24.69%. According to CNN Money, the 44 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Apple Inc. have a median target of $590.00, with a high estimate of $777.00 and a low estimate of $360.00. The median estimate represents a +11.16% increase from the previous close.