How big is $2.525 billion when you're Apple? It won't affect living standards in Cupertino, that's for sure, but it's evidently enough to be worth hauling a rival through the US courts. The figure is revealed in Apple's damages claim, submitted in the run-up to its battle with Samsung in California, and is quite separate to other claims in Europe and Australia. If you're not already sick and tired of this feud, then the sums behind that big amorphous total make for curious reading.

According to a unit cost breakdown by Foss Patents, Apple wants $2.02 for every previously sold Samsung product that uses "overscroll bounce," another $2.02 for those that allow "tap to zoom and navigate," $3.10 for those that involve a "scrolling API," plus a mega $24 for each and every device that breaks an Apple design patent or trade dress right. That means the bulk of Apple's claim -- as much as $2 billion -- is actually for aesthetic rather than technical infringements. Of course, these figures have no bearing on what the US court may eventually decide to award to either party, and neither do they factor in any strategic value of the blood from Samsung's nose, or the negative PR that can only grow amid such litigious behavior.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Apple demands $2.02, plus $3.10... equals a total of $2.5 billion in Samsung damages originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.