Apple wants billions from Samsung in patent fight

Apple told a US court Tuesday it will seek damages of more than $2.5 billion from Samsung in a patent infringement case accusing the South Korean firm of copying the iPhone and iPad maker. Apple outlined its case for damages in paperwork filed in advance of a pivotal court battle with the South Korean consumer electronics titan that is set to begin Monday in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Apple filing Tuesday said Samsung, in entering the smartphone and tablet markets, "chose to compete by copying Apple." "Samsung's infringing sales have enabled Samsung to overtake Apple as the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world," the document said. Apple estimated that its lost profits and Samsung's "unjust enrichment" total in the vicinity of $2.525 billion; a figure that could be ramped up given damages rules for "willful" infringement of patents. Samsung has steadfastly denied abusing Apple patents and countered in court that Apple has been taking advantage of some of the South Korean company's patented technology for wireless connections. In May, two days of court-directed peace talks between the chiefs of Apple and Samsung ended with no truce in the legal battle headed for court in San Jose, California. Apple boss Tim Cook and Samsung chief Choi Gee-Sung met in San Francisco after a judge asked the bosses to personally try to resolve the case. US District court Judge Lucy Koh is presiding over two closely watched patent lawsuits pitting the companies against one another and wanted them to resolve their differences before trials, the first of which is slated to begin Monday. Apple and Samsung, a leading maker of smartphones and tablets using Google-backed Android mobile software, are fighting patent battles in more than half a dozen countries. Each company accuses the other of infringing on patented technology in smartphones or tablets. Samsung is a leading maker of Android devices, but it also supplies California-based maker of iPads, iPhones, and iPods parts for its coveted gadgets.