Last month a jury ordered Samsung to pay $1.05 billion in damages to Apple for infringing 7 of the 8 patents that the latter listed in a lawsuit filed with a California district court.

The on-going feud between the top mobile manufacturer in the world  and the most valuable firm out there stretches across multiple courtrooms in several different continents, and one billion dollars this way or that is not a particularly momentous  outcome. The patents however are an entirely different story.

The August ruling enforces Apple’s intellectual rights to several components that are, or at least used to be, standard design. The company now owns features such as pinch-to-zoom and even the shape of the iPhone, and CIOs agree that this is not a good development for the industry as a whole.

But it may be good for Apple.  In an interview, Covanta Energy chief information officer Stuart Kippelman’s take is that, by curving rivals’ ability to add functionality that users have come to expect from their mobile devices, Apple has suddenly put itself in a very good position.

“The precedent set by the verdict could force Android device makers to slow or abandon product development as they make sure they aren’t treading on Apple’s intellectual property, said Stuart Kippelman, CIO for renewable energy specialist Covanta Energy. That will mean fewer choices in the market, and could push even more consumers and business buyers to the iPhone, consolidating power with Apple.”

UL’s Christian Anschuetz concurs. He shares the belief that competing manufacturers, not to mention app developers, are going to be seriously hampered.

Kippelman and Land O’Lakes CIO Barry Libenson, who was also asked of his opinion, both criticized the US patent system for putting litigation in the way of innovation. Pundits have long called for an overhaul that would prevent companies like Apple from patenting concepts that are sufficiently generic and vague to cover industry standards.