Apple’s not content with the $1 billion fine a US District Court slapped on its competitor Samsung after a judge ruled the company had “willfully violated” 6 out of 7 of its patents. The company has asked for a fine of $700 million more, plus a complete and permanent ban on the importation of any infringing Samsung devices, Reuters first reported on a court filing earlier this week.
In court documents filed late Friday, Apple specifically seeks $400 million for design infringement, $135 million for willful infringement of its utility patents, $121 million in supplemental damages based on sales of Samsung products, and $150 million in prejudgment interest, for a total of $707 million.
The company had initially requested $2.5 billion. Due to the fact that the court ruled Samsung had “willfully violated” Apple’s patents, Apple could have asked the court to triple the $1 billion in damages awarded. The relatively small request for further penalties likely reflects an urge by the company to refrain from the court of public opinion. Court papers were filed late in the afternoon on Friday- the edge of cocktail hour for most journalists.
Apple also called for a ban on “any of the infringing products or any other product with a feature or features not more than colorably different from any of the infringing feature or features in any of the Infringing Products.” That would cover more than 20 Samsung devices and could even Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S3, which would prove devastating for Samsung.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung has requested a new trial on the grounds that the jury’s verdict was unreasonable and not supported by the evidence or testimony. The company has claimed that the judge’s limits on testimony time and the number of witnesses that could be called led to an unfair trial.
“The Court’s constraints on trial time, witnesses and exhibits were unprecedented for a patent case of this complexity and magnitude, and prevented Samsung from presenting a full and fair case in response to Apple’s many claims,” Samsung said in a statement.
A hearing on the damages has been scheduled for Dec. 6 by US District Judge Lucy Koh.
Both companies are locked in a head to head competition to control the smartphone market. Samsung grabbed the title of world’s top smartphone developer in the second quarter of this year with more than 50 million phones shipped, almost double the 26 million sold by Apple.
Apple debuted the iPhone 5 earlier this month. The device hit (link to Apple iPhone 5 Release Faces Long Lines Around the World shared last Friday) stores last Friday with long lines reported on every continent from Hong Kong to Iowa. Samsung, meanwhile, has added the iPhone 5 to a previous suit of patent infringement.