Samsung: "We Will Continue Until Our Arguments Have Been Accepted"

An internal memo distributed among Samsung employees has been published, with the company's execs expressing "disappointment" at the $1bn Apple verdict last week, but vowing to fight on nonetheless. The document, released through Samsung's corporate blog, paints Apple as lawsuit-fixated, with Samsung saying it "initially proposed to negotiate with Apple instead of going to court, as they had been one of our most important customers."

That relationship sees Apple spend billions of dollars each year on Samsung components, including systems processors for iOS devices, flash memory, and more. Despite Samsung's claimed reluctance to take the arguments into the courtroom, however, the company says "Apple pressed on with a lawsuit, and we have had little choice but to counter-sue."

Unsurprisingly, Samsung highlights differences between the outcome of the jury trial in San Jose and the verdicts reached in courts elsewhere in the world. Those – including the UK, Korea, and Germany – found that Samsung had neither copied Apple's UI interactions nor dismissed its claims about Apple infringing Samsung's own standards patents. In the US, however, Samsung was awarded zero damages for that, with the jury deciding that Apple had not infringed whatsoever.

Samsung concludes with the suggestion that Apple will not win over customers by litigation, but that its own "pursuit of innovation" will give it success in the long-term. Both companies will file post-trial motions over the coming weeks, with an injunction hearing tentatively scheduled for September 20.

"[Internal Memo] Regarding the Jury Verdict in California

On Friday, August 24, 2012, the jury verdict in our trial against Apple was announced at the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The following is an internal memo that reflects Samsung's position regarding the verdict:

We initially proposed to negotiate with Apple instead of going to court, as they had been one of our most important customers. However, Apple pressed on with a lawsuit, and we have had little choice but to counter-sue, so that we can protect our company.

Certainly, we are very disappointed by the verdict at the US District Court for the Northern District of California (NDCA), and it is regrettable that the verdict has caused concern amongst our employees, as well as our loyal customers.

However, the judge's final ruling remains, along with a number of other procedures. We will continue to do our utmost until our arguments have been accepted.

The NDCA verdict starkly contrasts decisions made by courts in a number of other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Korea, which have previously ruled that we did not copy Apple's designs. These courts also recognized our arguments concerning our standards patents.

History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth, when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.

We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritize innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt."

[via 9to5Mac]