The verdict just came in hours ago, and we now have official statements from Samsung and Apple with their thoughts on the ruling. Let’s just jump straight to it.

Samsung “Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.” Apple “We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values. At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy. We applaud the court for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.”

And finally, we have Microsoft who hasn’t issued a formal statement, but is no doubt grinning to ear. That sentiment can be seen from Bill Cox, Microsoft’s senior director of Windows Phone marketing communications and Frank Shaw who tweeted moments ago:

“@billcox: Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now.” “@fxshaw: Using Bing Local Scout on my Windows Phone to look for a place to drink a pint. Love that UI. Fresh. Unique. Different. That is all.”

Easy, Bill. Not that good. Franks comments were interesting in that, when in reference to today’s verdict, he’s talking about a version of TouchWiz UI no longer featured in any devices currently on the market. I’ll bite my tongue for now…

[WinSource | TheVerge 1, 2]