I took a little vacation from blogging this summer. I was working hard preparing a new ethics course for the MBA students, and needed to focus. The good news is that the class was fantastic and inspiring, so despite being tired I am ready to go.
I entitled this post Welcome (back) because I hope that my former students will continue to read and comment. It is a good way to keep in touch, which is beneficial for all of us.
Much has happened in the world of legal news, but probably the most important is Apple’s victory against Samsung in patent litigation. The jury found that Samsung had violated several of Apple’s patents and awarded over $1 billion in damages. Really, though, the money is not the news here. Samsung is a big, successful company (thank you for the lovely TV’s, by the way), and it can pay the damages without a hiccup. The important question is what this victory means for consumers. Apple has already has the Court to use an injunction to prohibit the sale of eight Samsung products. Many thought this lawsuit was simply a proxy for a fight against Google. Now the makers of Android phones have two options: redesign their phones so that they are not similar to Apple products, or pay Apple license fees. The latter requires Apple’s willingness to license their technology, of course.
I am no patent lawyer, and all my former students know how little I understand about technology. But I do understand shopping. Although I am an iPhone person, I think choice and variety is good for the consumer. That isn’t an economics argument, although I am sure all you SMG students could make one. It is a shopping argument.
Because you are all much more expert than I in these matters, I was curious what you thought about the verdict. Will consumers lose? What is our patent law really accomplishing here?
