Samsung seeking “adequate damages” from Apple following 3G patent win

Thanks to a report by Dutch website All About Phones, translated by The Verge, we now know that Samsung will seek “adequate damages” from Apple following a favorable ruling in the 3G patent lawsuit in The Netherlands. Luckily, the ruling excludes a sales ban option because the infringed patent is classified as FRAND…

The Netherlands’ District Court of The Hague ruled that Apple violated a 3G patent used in its iPads and iPhones, which Samsung registered under fair use (FRAND) terms.

The ruling affects all 3G-enabled iOS devices that incorporate Infineon’s baseband chips. Specifically, this means the iPad 1 and iPad 2, as well as all iPhone models with the exception of the iPhone 4S, which is protected by Apple’s deal with Qualcomm.

Where does Samsung go from here?

Well, since it’s not entitled to a sales ban due to the FRAND nature of its patent, Samsung is likely to milk Apple for some sort of compensation.

Here’s the company’s (poorly translated) statement:

Samsung welcomes the decision of the court in The Hague, which again confirms that Apple makes free use of our technological innovations. In accordance with this statement, we recover adequate damages that Apple and its products have caused.

The South Korean conglomerate couldn’t refrain itself from taking a few potshots at its #1 buyer of NAND flash chips, processors and displays.

For decades, Samsung has invested heavily as a pioneer in the development of technological innovations for the control of advanced devices, including innovations that are widely adopted by other manufacturers of mobile devices.

We continue to defend our innovations and protecting our intellectual property rights for Apple to stop free use of our technology.

According to Webwereld.nl, Apple will likely pay Samsung.

Note that this Dutch case is just a tiny part of a much broader legal fight the two frenemies are waging in courts the world over.

Samsung’s legal sharks are also sharpening their teeth and gearing up for a full-scale attack on Apple’s next iPhone.

Don’t you get sick and tired of this legal bullshit?

Should Apple just settle with its primary supplier, whom it called once in court documents “the copyist”, or insist on fighting this legal battle to the death?