Apple v. Samsung: Android phones and tablets
Main article: Apple Inc. v.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. was the first of
many lawsuits between Apple and Samsung. In the spring of 2011, Apple
sued Samsung while already fully engaged in a patent war with Motorola,
thus expanding its litigation to simultaneously argue patent rights with
another major technology company.[203]
Apple's multinational litigation over technology patents became known
as the mobile device patent wars:[204]
extensive litigation in fierce competition in the global market for
consumer mobile communications. By August 2011 Apple and Samsung were
carrying out their legal battles in 19 ongoing lawsuits in 12 courts in
nine countries on four continents; by October, the fight expanded to 10
countries,[205][206]
and by July 2012 the two companies were embroiled in more than 50
lawsuits around the globe with billions of dollars in damages claimed
between them.[207]
The ultimate cost of these patent wars to consumers, shareholders, and
investors is yet unknown, but was reported as not trivial, increasing
both business costs and product pricing.[208][209]
A U.S. jury trial was scheduled for July 30, 2012.[210]
