Will Apple Earn Another $1 Billion from Samsung After Patent Victory?

In the United States, the price for violating Apple's AAPL patents proved to be enormous. Last summer Samsung was ordered to pay $1 billion dollars for infringing on a number of patents owned by the iPhone maker. Samsung's worked hard to reduce the penalty, but it could rise again after another jury decides how much Apple should receive. While both Apple and Samsung have experienced various setbacks since that time, the two firms have continued their global battle for patent supremacy. In March, former patent attorney Cheryl Milone told Benzinga that these and other patent suits -- such as the recent skirmish between Microsoft MSFT and Google GOOG -- are "just another example of the stakes in the patent system where companies are now using patents as a competitive tool to control market share." Milone is the founder and CEO of Article One Partners, a patent validation community. After the Apple/Samsung battle escalated this year, she told Benzinga that the chances of a quick resolution are being diminished. "I think the longer this goes on…the trajectory is for continued action in litigation rather than resolution," she remarked last month. "I think that the time for a resolution would have been before the trial." Today's news is likely to worsen the situation. According to Bloomberg, Apple has won its lawsuit against Samsung in Japan. This particular suit focused on the "visual effects for touch panels." Tokyo District Court Judge Shigeru Osuga ruled that both Samsung smartphones and one of the firm's tablets infringed on Apple's patents. Osuga did not yet reveal how much Samsung should be ordered to pay for this violation, nor did the Bloomberg article list which devices were in violation. It does not appear that Samsung will be ordered to stop selling any of its devices in Japan. However, the South Korean tech giant has previously attempted to suspend sales of Apple's products in the nation. That move was unsuccessful. While Samsung is the world leader in overall smartphone sales, the iPad has dominated tablet sales in Japan for three consecutive years. Full-year shipments reached 5.68 million units for all tablet manufacturers. Nearly three million of those tablets were produced by Apple, providing the company with a 52.5 percent share of the market. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ