Much of the reaction to the landmark Apple-Samsung decision came over the weekend but Google, which is implicitly involved in the case by virtue of the fact that it provides the Android platform for Samsung’s smartphones, has waited until now (late Sunday US time) to have its say.
In a statement provided to TNW, the company steers clear of any strongly formed opinion on the ruling — which handed Samsung a fine in excess of $1 billion — but the company did distance itself from the case, saying that “most” of the patents involved “don’t relate to the core Android operating system”.
Google also points out that “several” patents are being looked at by the US Patent Office and it also makes mention of the fact that the court of appeals will review the verdict.
The full statement from Google is below:
The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don’t relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players – including newcomers – are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don’t want anything to limit that.
The verdict itself is being questioned by commentators on the grounds of inconsistent decisions, which were reached by the 9-member jury far quicker than the 3 days of deliberation expected.
Either way, the decision is likely to see Samsung appeal a prior US sales injunction on its Galaxy Tab 10.1, after the tablet was found to have not infringed any patents..
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