San Francisco - Apple told a US court on Tuesday it will seek
damages of more than $2.5bn from Samsung in a patent infringement case accusing
the South Korean firm of copying the iPhone and iPad maker.
Apple outlined its case for damages in paperwork filed in
advance of a pivotal court battle with the South Korean consumer electronics
titan that is set to begin on Monday in the heart of Silicon Valley.
The Apple filing on Tuesday said Samsung, in entering the
smartphone and tablet markets, "chose to compete by copying Apple."
"Samsung's infringing sales have enabled Samsung to
overtake Apple as the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world,"
the document said.
Apple estimated that its lost profits and Samsung's
"unjust enrichment" total in the vicinity of $2.525bn; a figure that
could be ramped up given damages rules for "willful" infringement of
patents.
Samsung has steadfastly denied abusing Apple patents and
countered in court that Apple has been taking advantage of some of the South
Korean company's patented technology for wireless connections.
In May, two days of court-directed peace talks between the
chiefs of Apple and Samsung ended with no truce in the legal battle headed for
court in San Jose, California.
Apple boss Tim Cook and Samsung chief Choi Gee-Sung met in
San Francisco after a judge asked the bosses to personally try to resolve the
case.
US District court Judge Lucy Koh is presiding over two
closely watched patent lawsuits pitting the companies against one another and
wanted them to resolve their differences before trials, the first of which is
slated to begin on Monday.
Apple and Samsung, a leading maker of smartphones and
tablets using Google-backed Android mobile software, are fighting patent
battles in more than half a dozen countries.
Each company accuses the other of infringing on patented
technology in smartphones or tablets.
Samsung is a leading maker of Android devices, but it also supplies California-based maker of iPads, iPhones, and iPods parts for its coveted gadgets.
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