Because the court system is an inescapable never ending maze of appeals and paperwork, a ruling doesn't seem to mark the end of anything. Even when the court said Samsung had to pay a billion dollars to Apple back in August, it can rule something differently tomorrow. Or at least, tweak and overturn something. Tonight, Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Samsung's infringement of the Apple patents were not 'willful' which means Samsung might be able to get a coupon on the billion it owes Apple. Maybe.
When you're talking about getting blown out for a billi I guess every zero counts. Though the Judge overturned the jury's ruling about willful infringement, she denied Samsung's request for a new trial (which was a total long shot anyway) and the court will still have to make a decision on Samsung's request for adjustments to the damages awards (Samsung obviously wants it reduced). FOSS Patents says that Judge Koh also denied Apple any damages enhancements for willful infringement, "which could have resulted in a tripling of parts of the award." Yikes. Looks like Samsung is a little happier today. [FOSS Patents, The Verge]