In 2012, Apple unleashed a wave of lawsuits against Samsung Electronics, spanning multiple countries and court systems, accusing the Korean manufacturer of copying many of the iPad and iPhone’s signature design innovations.
Winner: Apple. While the company saw limited success outside the U.S., and was even forced by an English judge to publish an apology stipulating that Samsung did not copy the iPad, Apple won big on its home turf. The U.S. court ruled that Samsung had violated a slew of Apple design patents, including the iPhone’s signature “tap-to-zoom” feature, and awarded the company over $1 billion in damages. Samsung is appealing, but for now Cupertino remains on top.