Apple scores $1bn win over Samsung in patent case

Apple has claimed victory in its landmark patent infringement battle with Samsung.

A US District Court on Friday found that Samsung's Android devices had infringed on patents related to the Apple iOS platform. The jury awarded Apple roughly $1bn in damages, according to multiple reports from the San Jose court.

The decision comes just two days after each company made its closing arguments the jury began deliberations. Apple had originally sought some $2.52bn in damages.

"Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices," Samsung said.

"It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies."

Apple had claimed that Samsung's line of Android devices violated its patents in areas ranging from interface and screen design to key hardware and design elements. The company has flatly accused Samsung of "copying" its most successful products.

Samsung, meanwhile, has maintained that its products in no way violate Apple patents and that the iPhone maker is using overly broad claims of infringement to tie up competing vendors in court rather than compete in the open market.

The US case is the largest in a series of legal battles being waged between the two firms across the globe. Earlier in the day, a South Korean court delivered a split decision when it ruled that both sides had infringed on the other's patents.