“Samsung’s various attempts to shut down Apple products — most recently the iPhone 4S — with patents declared essential to the 3G industry standard have now given rise to an antitrust investigation by Europe’s top competition ‘watchdog,'” Florian Mueller reports for FOSS Patents. “This is the most important development to date related to the world-spanning dispute between these two companies.”
“This investigation has the potential to force Samsung to withdraw most of its claims against Apple, but let’s not forget that the underlying issue concerns the technology industry at large,” Mueller reports. “Everyone — not just Apple — relies on FRAND standards.”
Mueller reports, “Here’s the passage again, with the sentence on the European Commission investigation highlighted by me: Samsung’s efforts to coerce Apple into tolerating Samsung’s imitation have not been limited to the counterclaims here [in California]. Samsung has launched an aggressive, worldwide campaign to enjoin Apple from allegedly practicing Samsung’s patents. Samsung has sued Apple for infringement and injunctions in no fewer than eight countries outside the United States. Indeed, Samsung’s litigation campaign and other conduct related to its Declared-Essential Patents is so egregious that the European Commission recently has opened an investigation to determine whether Samsung’s behavior violates EU competition laws. Apple brings these Counterclaims In Reply to halt Samsung’s abuse and protect consumers, the wireless telecommunications industry, and Apple from further injury.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: For Samsung, the shit just hit the FRAND.
Karma’s a b!tch
Why it takes them so long to look into FRAND? Damage done. Samsung”s strong arm at work..
Damage done? Oh no. There are no damages yet, but wait till the European Comission starts bounding Samsung. 😀
This is the most stupid move made by Samsung and now they will suffer.
“For Samsung, the shit just hit the FRAND.”
They might pound Samsung after they bound them. 😉
Naaa, bounding would likely suffice…. a full on pounding after the bounding would just be gravy. 😉
That MDN take made my lol. Good job guys.
Ouch.
Our family never buys Samsung products.
If you’ve bought an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad recently, Samsung makes the Apple-designed A4 and A5 CPU inside every one of them. And there are probably other Samsung-made parts inside as well.
What will really hurt Samsung is not a few people boycotting products that say “Samsung” on the outside, but Apple taking its CPU fabrication business to a Samsung competitor. Until that happens, Apple is funding its own competition.
I don’t believe this to be true. If people stopped being Samsung’s consumer products, Samsung would definitely feel it. After all its a consumer product they used to infringe. I could care less if Apple used their parts in the phone. I just don’t want Samsung thinking they can turn around and use Apple’s designs in their consumer level stuff.
If they garner enough public ill will over this and the only good customer they have left is Apple, they’ll feel it for sure. Never underestimate people hating your guts.
Yes, if EVERYONE did it. But I doubt there is any PR angle Apple can take that will make that happen, or that Apple even wants that to happen. For most people, a smartphone or tablet computer is a product; they choose the one they want from the choices that are available. A TV, microwave, or washing machine is a completely different choice. They are NOT related.
Apple’s “angle” is to get Samsung’s copycat mobile products off the table, so that they are not available choices. It is NOT to cause the public to boycott all Samsung products. Apple gains nothing from causing Samsung to lose sales of their products that do not religiously copy iPhone and iPad.
Would you be happier if people like Bono said he didn’t buy FINISHED Samsung products? He’s doing what he can. He can’t help if Samsung is providing internal components to manufacturers.
Actually, I think it hurts Samsung far more when its BRANDED products aren’t purchased.
Finally! Samsung has gone way over the line.
Keep the boycott going.
Frivolous lawsuits should be punished, and if not by the EC or the courts, then by a countersuit by Apple seeking compensatory damages.
What do they say about losing face.
Dude, Samsmug just got a facial.
Hahahaah
One has to wonder how Samsung is coming up with it’s legal strategy. Is it their legal team? Some exec forcing their will and making the legal team do these things? So far, all they do is bumble and suck.
Shamstung is desperate to have a patent bargaining chip even if it makes no legal sense at all and fools no one. They’re shootin’ blanks. They so busy firing their “weapons” they haven’t opened their eyes yet to see that everybody is still standing, and laughing.
Other European big players are behind Apple because they can’t allow Samsungs behavior to be open these license agreements. The hole system would explode. The bunishment will be in hundreds of millions if not Billions of Euros so this will be extremely expensive for the Samsung. So thank you Samsung for digging the hole and now bye bye.
Oh. Snap.
Samdung stinks.
I will never buy another one of their products!!!
Samsung is a samseng, which in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore means a thug.
Here’s another one folks. My wife just took an official tour of the DMZ, where the Kaesong Industrial City was discussed. It seems South Korea companies, such as Samsung and LG have their products manufactured up to the point of final assembly in North Korea. These companies pay the workers $75 per month, with the North Korea government taking about 70% of the salaries in taxes and fees. The NK workers love it because their $30 a month is about three times the national average. If you doubt it, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaesong_Industrial_Region
Just think how much grief Apple takes for ‘exploiting’ Chinese Foxconn workers. Samsung and LG’s ‘exploitation’ is a good reason to boycott them, not just thier theft of IP and threatening of the FRAND patent system.