Samsung vs Apple: What does Samsung Patent Win Means?

The dispute between Apple and Samsung in the never ending smartphone fight is reaching into the highest ground or office in America. It becomes one of the most visible battle not only their customers but also the rights for producing and distributing their products.

As Bloomberg News reports: “Apple Inc.’s first loss against Samsung Electronics Co. in a U.S. patent case could mean a ban on imports of some older devices including the iPhone 4. 

With dozens of lawsuits spread across four continents in their battle for a greater share of the $293.9 billion market for smartphones, each side can now claim a victory in the U.S.”

The decision will be held on a 60-day review process which includes US President Barrack Obama. 

While rarely used, part of the review process that accompanies this type of decision includes the power of the president to overturn the ruling on public policy grounds. The ruling is the first big loss for Apple in its ongoing patent war with Samsung and could cost the company significantly, depending how various other issues unfold.

While Apple and Samsung are obviously the most directly affected by the decision, AT&T and T-Mobile will also feel the impact. While other carriers sell versions of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 3G, only the models specific to these two carriers were subjects of the case. The ban, therefore, will limit each of these carriers ability to sell these devices and could limit choices, specifically of lower-priced options, for each. The offending devices carried on other networks were not specifically addressed, although Samsung reserved the right to seek action against these in the future.

The impact on the smartphone side is more severe, but if Apple releases a cheaper version of the iPhone towards end of year, it would probably become a preferred choice of consumers seeking a less costly option.

As vicious as Apple v. Samsung seems, it is not a death match. Samsung remains a major Apple supplier. The two companies can, and in the future will, coexist. 

First, however, they will have to work through the fallout from Jobs’s monumental sense of personal insult over Google’s daring to challenge the iPhone. Jobs’s successor, Tim Cook, has signaled that he doesn’t share the founder’s ambition to lay waste to all foes

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