Did Samsung Really Pay Apple $1 Billion Lawsuit Damage 30 Trucks of 5 Cents Coins?
A Web site called the Blade Brown Show claimed on Wednesday that South Korean tech giant Samsung paid Apple the $1 billion damage in a lawsuit in 5 cents coins aboard 30 trucks. The story appears to join the ranks of recent hoaxes such as the death of action star Jacky Chan and the alleged suicide of Mr Bean, actor Rowan Atkinson.
To make it appear that the report is credible, it even includes a photo showing a truck dumping its contents of nickels. However, a closer examination would show the interior looks like a warehouse or factory, so there is a possibility that the image is a genuine photo taken in a coin minting plant.
In fact, the story is a year old based on this YouTube video.
YouTube/Eggy Small
The report said Apple opted to pay in 5 cents coins because the court decision did not specify a payment method, giving Samsung the freedom to choose in what denomination they would opt pay their Cupertino, California-based rival.
It added that Apple now has the burden of spending long hours counting the coins instead of designing newer iPhone and iPad models. Another headache for the American firm is finding a bank willing to accept such type of deposit.
The report even quoted Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee that the payment mode chosen by the company is their way of showing Apple they could also play it dirty.
However, what should serve as red flags for experienced media practitioners from falling for such types of reports made by parody Web sites - similar to recent news that U.S. President Barack Obama appointed CNN anchor Anderson Cooper to be the ambassador to the Philippines - are the facts that the many lawsuits between the two tech giants are still ongoing and none is at the stage of settling damage awards.
Just this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in an opinion, upheld a lower court decision that Apple could not seek an outright ban on Samsung products that allegedly violated its patent. However, the ruling still provided Apple a window to curb sales of its rival, which has been eating at the market share of the iPhone maker, by proving that the features which Samsung allegedly stole are some of the factors that consumers consider in buying a device from Samsung.
However, that is just one lawsuit. There are several more patent dispute lawsuits across the continents that a greenhorn reporter could easily fall for the tricks of apparently parody news sites unawares of these other cases.
