Samsung Has to Pay Apple $539M for Infringing Patents

Samsung Electronics Co. has been ordered to pay an additional $140 million for copying features of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) original iPhone.

On Thursday, jurors in the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California increased the amount of damages that Samsung must pay Apple from $399 million to $539 million. The jury awarded Apple $533.3 million for Samsung’s violation of three design patents on the iPhone and an extra $5.3 million for infringing utility patents.

The latest ruling comes seven years after the iPhone maker first sued its South Korean smartphone competitor for "slavishly copying” its products. Six years ago, Samsung was found guilty of violating patents and told to pay Apple $1.05 billion in damages. In this latest retrial, Apple demanded the same amount, while Samsung pleaded that it should only have to pay $28 million.

In a statement, the Cupertino, California-based company said it was pleased that the members of the jury "agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products."

"We believe deeply in the value of design," Apple said in a statement. "This case has always been about more than money."

Meanwhile, Samsung hinted that it may appeal the verdict. “Today’s decision flies in the face of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages,” Samsung said in a statement. “We will consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.”

John Quinn, a lawyer for Samsung, complained to the judge that the latest verdict isn’t “supported by the evidence” and that the company would raise its objections in court filings, reported Bloomberg.

Apple’s win marks the biggest damages award for a patent case so far this year, according to Bloomberg. The second biggest in 2018 was the $502.6 million that Apple was ordered to pay VirnetX Holding Corp. (VHC) in April. (See also: Apple Warns About Media Leaks—In a Leaked Memo.)

Samsung earned $38.9 million profit each day from sales of its mobile devices, according to its most recent quarterly earnings. Based on those calculations, Bloomberg added that the South Korean giant could feasibly pay Apple what it owes in about two weeks. (See also: Samsung Reports Weak Demand for OLED Panels Used in iPhone X.)