[Nfbf-l] Just another one of those urban legends. Here is the break down of the story:

[Alan Dicey]

Just another one of those urban legends. but some interesting facts below, 
Here is the break down of the story:



Origins:   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 world's largest maker of cell phones, had copied patented 
features of Apple'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 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 Apple'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 "humor" and "satire." But even for those who encountered it 
out of context, several aspects of the story should have stood out as 
implausible:

  a.. The jury decision awarding Apple $1.05 billion in damages had been 
issued only a few days earlier, and damages as large as this are not paid 
off nearly so quickly. The judge in the case has not yet handed down her 
decision, and undoubtedly several rounds of appeals (likely culminating in a 
settlement), dragging on for months (if not years), will take place before 
Samsung actually pays out any damages to Apple, as noted in the Washington 
Post:
Q. Was the verdict final?

A. No. Samsung is challenging it. First, Samsung will first ask the trial 
judge to toss the verdict. Then it will appeal to a court in Washington that 
specializes in patent appeals. Samsung has vowed to take the fight all the 
way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

  a.. To pay off a billion dollars in nickels would require 20 billion of 
those coins. That amount would require Samsung to obtain the equivalent of 
all the nickels struck by the U.S. Mint in the last several decades. (In 
2011, for example, the U.S. Mint produced less than one billion nickels, and 
2010 less than half a billion.) Samsung would have to round up virtually 
every nickel in circulation to acquire over $1 billion worth of those coins, 
a feat that could hardly be accomplished without having a significant impact 
on the U.S. monetary system.
  b.. A single nickel weights 5 grams (about .011 pounds), so a billion 
dollars' worth of nickels would weigh in at about 110,000 tons. That load 
would far exceed the carrying capacity of 30 or so trucks (requiring each 
truck to carry over 3,600 tons, or more than 7.2 million lbs. each). The 
equivalent of about 2,755 eighteen-wheeler trucks, each hauling 40 tons' 
worth of nickels, would be needed to transport the weight of that many 
coins. (Even if we ignored the weight factor, the sheer physical volume of 
that many nickels would likely require the use of many more trucks to carry 
them all.)
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 "a 
valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor." 
(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.)


With Best Regards,
Alan
Miami, Florida
Alan Dicey, Vice President
United States Braille Chess Association - USBCA
"Yes, Blind and Visually Impaired People, Can, and Do, Play Chess!"
United States Braille Chess Association Home Page: 
http://AmericanBlindChess.org