Samsung has suffered a major setback in the much-noticed lawsuit between Apple and Samsung in the USA: the court ruled that Samsung must copy the design of the iPhone manufacturer from Cupertino and pay a fine of over one billion US dollars. Apple also wants to obtain a ban on sales, which would hit Samsung additionally. Apple naturally views the verdict very positively, and the lawyers of the currently most valuable company have thanked the jury: "We make our products for the pleasure of the user, not for shameless copying." Besides Samsung, the verdict is important for Google (as the actual developer of Android) as well as other smartphone and tablet manufacturers - Apple could now sue them with similar grounds. The sales ban for the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will of course remain in force in the USA.
Much worse than the fine and the sales ban is of course the external effect for Samsung: no company wants to be perceived as a "copy", especially for a global corporation like Samsung it could mean considerable losses if customers consider the company to be uncreative. It is now also exciting to see whether Apple will take a real step forward with the iPhone 5, expected on September 12th, or whether it will practically "copy" itself. There is a danger that by taking legal action against competitors, innovations will not reach the customer and good ideas will not reach the market for fear of patent lawsuits.
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