Apple won a huge victory last Friday in its patent litigation against Samsung. Apple CEO Tim Cook took the high road in a memo to staff, saying in part:
For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.
For some reason Samsung decided to rattle the sabers a bit, and post something on their website, but call it an “internal memo”:
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.
I’m not sure if this is a literal translation from the original. I cannot fathom how Samsung can use the term “innovation” when it was just found massively liable for pervasive patent infringement.
So we have a gracious winner, and a confused loser. Here’s something to help Samsung:
Now aside from the fact that this looks it came straight from an afternoon Kindergarten “Let’s Do Numbers” session, I think when a jury says “you lose” and attaches a number with ten figures, you ought to be somewhat circumspect.
Perhaps as an omen to Samsung, the day before the verdict was announced, Jerry Nelson, the voice of “The Count” on Sesame Street, passed away.
Before you issue a press release after a major defeat in litigation, it’s important to count first. Maybe not to a billion, but at least to 10. Then do a draft, and catch 40 winks before you release it.
I think Apple is happy, loves the verdict, and is proud of its lawyers and witnesses. Maybe even exultant. Samsung is probably frustrated, sad and exhausted.