Maybe $1 billion is a tad high for copying a rectangle

I was just opining earlier today that Apple's woes in the stock market may partly be a result of its aggressive litigation battles with its competitor-slash-suppliers, the likes of Samsung and LG. Well, it appears the judge in the US case that saw Apple awarded a billion dollars may also be thinking that things are kinda sorta getting out of hand.

From Huffington Post:

A federal judge on Thursday appeared ready to trim millions from a $1.05 billion jury verdict Apple Inc. won over Samsung Electronics this summer as she urged the top two smartphone companies to settle their myriad legal actions around the world.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said she would issue a series of ruling over the next several weeks resolving the many legal issues raised at the hearing Thursday. Samsung is seeking a new trial or a reduction of the verdict that resulted from a lawsuit Apple filed in 2011. Apple, on the other hand, urged the judge to add millions more to the award and permanently ban the U.S. sales of eight Samsung smartphone models a jury in August said illegally used Apple technology.

Koh gave no indication on how she would rule on the sales ban request nor by what amount she would cut from the $1 billion award. Samsung was demanding that she cut the award by more than half, but Koh gave no hint that she sided with that argument or Apple's separate argument for an increase in the award.

Seriously, as a consumer who loves Apple products and wants Samsung to continue being an engine for the Korean economy, I'd love for these two to get this all behind them and get back to work actually designing stuff.

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