Apple and Samsung respond to patent verdict (while Microsoft folks poke fun)

Following Apple’s mammoth victory over Samsung in court Friday, both companies have issued fairly predictable statements to the media. Microsoft employees, meanwhile, haven’t been afraid to shout from the peanut gallery.

Samsung, which now owes more than $1 billion to Apple (unless it appeals successfully), said that the verdict is “a loss for the American consumer.” The Korean phone maker argues that Apple’s legal victory could lead to fewer phone choices, higher prices, and potentially even less innovation in the mobile industry.

Apple, playing it cool, said that the suits between the companies were about more than just money or the value of patents, “they were about values.” The company sees the win as a clear sign that Samsung copied its designs “even deeper than we know,” and, perhaps as a warning to other phone makers, a “message that stealing isn’t right.”

Some notable Microsoft employees have been reveling in the Samsung smackdown. Bill Cox, the senior director of Windows Phone market, tweeted shortly after the verdict, “Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now.” And Microsoft communications head Frank Shaw also got a dig in, tweeting this afternoon, “Using Bing Local Scout on my Windows Phone to look for a place to drink a pint. Love that U.I. Fresh. Unique. Different. That is all.”

Check out the full text of Apple and Samsung’s statements below:

 Samsung

Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.

Apple

We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values. At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy. We applaud the court for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.

Via The New York Times, The Verge; Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat