Google says Apple verdict doesn't "relate to the core Android operating system"

After a jury found that Samsung infringed upon Apple's intellectual property, and awarded Apple nearly $1.05 billion in damages, many analysts and observers suggested that the case might spell trouble for other Android manufacturers. Not so, says Google.

The Samsung verdict is not indicative of any problem with Android, according to Google. Noting that the case is heading for appeals and several of Apple's claims are being challenged, Google deflected suggestions that this verdict will affect all Android phones. The company issued the following statement to The Verge:
The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don't relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players -- including newcomers -- are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don't want anything to limit that.
Apple has been involved in patent squabbles with other Android manufacturers, including HTC and Google-subsidiary Motorola. Those pending cases deal more with particular functions, not the accusations of copying a device's appearance as Apple claimed Samsung did. Google and Android manufacturers have already removed or altered some of the software features that courts have found to infringe on Apple's intellectual property.