Google seeks to distance itself from $1B Apple patent verdict
Web giant, which provides Samsung with its mobile operating system, says most of the patents in question "don't relate to the core Android operating system."
Some two days after Apple's lopsided patent victory over Samsung, the Korean electronics giant's pseudo silent partner is breaking its silence.
Google, which provides the Android operating system that Samsung devices use, issued a statement this evening that sought to distance itself from the case, saying that most of the patents in question "don't relate to the core Android operating system."
The statement, provided to The Verge, also points out that an appeals court will review the verdict and that the U.S. Patent Office is re-examining "several" of the patents in the case:
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.
Although not specifically named as a defendant in assorted Apple patent lawsuits, Google has quietly supported the equipment manufacturers that use its mobile OS without getting directly involved. Last summer, the company loaned HTC five patents in the Taiwanese handset maker's patent fight with Apple. However, an administrative judge later dismissed those patents.
Google's statement comes after a jury in a San Jose, Calif., courtroom on Friday ruled overwhelmingly in favor of Apple's patent claims against Samsung, awarding $1.05 billion in damages.
While Google steered clear of strong language, the two parties in the lawsuit showed no such restraint. Samsung called the verdict "a loss for the American consumer" and vowed that "this is not the final word in this case."
Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees in a companywide e-mail that the trial was about "values" -- "something much more important than patents or money."