Apple ordered to pay Samsung damages for patent infringement

Apple has been ordered to pay Samsung damages for infringing one of its patents, the BBC reports.

A Dutch court sided with Samsung in yet another patent-related dust-up, ordering the iPhone maker to cough up cash to atone for the infringement, which relates to the way phones and tablets connect to the Internet.

Samsung had complained the Californian company was trampling over four of its patents, but the Dutch judge decreed that only one was being infringed.

It's not clear how much money Apple will have to fork over, with the court not specifying an exact amount. The damages are going to be figured out based on sales of Apple's iPad and iPhone gadgets in the Netherlands.

"In accordance with the ruling," Samsung told the BBC, "we will seek adequate compensation for the damages Apple and its products have caused."

The company behind the recent Galaxy S3 said the court's decision confirmed Apple's "free-riding of our technical innovation". Meow!

Samsung and Apple have quickly become the two most prominent smart phone companies, thanks to the ongoing popularity of the iPhone and iPad, and Samsung's excellent Android-powered Galaxy S2 and S3 gadgets. Samsung recently boasted that combined sales of its Galaxy S and S2 smart phones had hit 50 million.

Apple and Samsung bosses met in May for peace talks, but the summit was unsuccessful.

It doesn't look like the two companies will stop taking chunks out of each other any time soon -- should Apple and Samsung end the patent war? Or do they have a right to defend their innovations in court? Let me know where you stand in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.