Verdict Shows Samsung Needs to Copy Apple Design Culture: Tech

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Following last month’s verdict saying Samsung Electronics Co. infringed Apple Inc. mobile-phone patents, the Korean electronics company faces pressure to copy another attribute of the iPhone maker: its focus on design.

The California jury ruling reinforced Samsung’s image as a follower rather than a trendsetter. The prospect of a ban on eight phones in the U.S. and a damages bill of more than $3 billion ratchets up pressure on Samsung to overhaul how it crafts handsets and give its design team freer rein to take risks. Yet creating the conditions for such a fundamental culture shift won’t be easy and any payoff uncertain in an industry whose creative standard was set by the late Steve Jobs.