claim: Samsung paid off a $1.05 billion judgment awarded to Apple in a patent infringement lawsuit entirely in nickels.
origin: In August 2012, the business and technology worlds were rocked by a decision in a patent infringement lawsuit which had a jury finding that Samsung, the worldâ€™s largest maker of cell phones, had copied patented features of Appleâ€™s iPhone and iPad technologies in several of its products, and awarding Apple $1.05 billion in damages. Several days later, that decision was spoofed in a humor piece (translated from the original Spanish) positing that Samsung had paid off the award in nickels: < Samsung Pays Apple $1 Billion Sending 30 Trucks Full of 5 Cents Coins This morning more than 30 trucks filled with 5-cent coins arrived at Appleâ€™s headquarters in California. Initially, the security company that protects the facility said the trucks were in the wrong place, but minutes later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a call from Samsung CEO explaining that they will pay $1 billion dollars for the fine recently ruled against the South Korean company in this way. The funny part is that the signed document does not specify a single payment method, so Samsung is entitled to send the creators of the iPhone their billion dollars in the way they deem best. > Many readers who came across the article as it was circulated online mistook it for real news, even though the original and its most common reproductions were labeled as â€œhumorâ€ and â€œsatire.â€ But even for those who encountered it out of context, several aspects of the story should have stood out as implausible: As to the hypothetical question of whether Apple would be obligated to accept payment of damages in such a form, since the late 19th century pennies and nickels have been considered legal tender and are therefore â€œa valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.â€ (Businesses selling goods or services are not required by law to accept legal tender as payment, but this particular scenario involves payment of a debt rather than a purchase of goods or services.)