Is Samsung Paying Apple $1 Billion in Pennies?

After last week’s ruling in Apple’s favor, requiring Samsung to pay them $1.05 billion in a patent infringement case, rumor has it that Samsung has decided to send 30 trucks full of pennies in a spiteful move to pay up. Is this story true or false?

It’s a hoax.

No major news organization has picked up such a story. It would be quite difficult for anyone to round up over a billion dollars in pennies. Plus, even if the story were true, it’s not Apple this prank would target, it would be the bank counting pennies on both ends of the prank. The idea for the rumor probably began several days earlier with angry commentary on the verdict wishing that Apple would be paid in pennies.

Then the story appeared to originate on this satirical website in Spanish. This website features other silly headlines, such as, “Scientists close to finishing mechanism that will encourage rotation of the Earth on weekends.” Somehow this tongue-in-cheek story lost its humor in translation:

USA – This Morning arrived more than 30 trucks filled of 5 cents to the HQ of Apple, California. At first glance the security detoured the trucks and they assured they were on the wrong place, but minutes later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a call from Samsung CEO that that is the payment method for the recent fine applied against the South Korean company.

Notice that the humorous story indicates 5-cent coins – not pennies. As this website shows, it would probably take less than 10 trucks to hold a billion dollars in pennies, but as far as weight goes, it has been argued that it would take hundreds of trucks to hold that weight. Either way, we don’t see 30 trucks in the math.

The rumor then started appearing, minus the satire, in English, such as the one found here.

It’s a funny story to consider, but it’s not true.