“EU regulators are poised to accuse Samsung of breaking competition rules in filing patent lawsuits against rival Apple, in the EU’s first formal challenge to the consumer electronic industry’s patent wars,” Ethan Bilby reports for Reuters. “‘We will issue a statement of objections very soon,’ the European Union’s competition chief Joaquin Almunia said on Thursday, referring to the Commission’s charge sheet.”
“The filing of competition objections is the latest step in the Commission’s investigation. After notifying Samsung in writing the company will have a chance to reply and request a hearing before regulators,” Bilby reports. “If the Commission then concludes that the firm did violate the rules, it could impose a fine of up to 10 percent of the electronic firm’s total annual turnover.”
Bilby reports, “In August Apple won a major victory in the smartphone patent war when a jury in a California federal court ordered Samsung to pay $1.05 billion in damages. The court found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPad and iPhone.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In our best Nelson Muntz voices, “Ha ha!”
Stop the FRAND abuse, slavish copier! Have some pride (of course, if Samssungorea had any pride, they wouldn’t have churned out blatant iPhone and iPad knockoffs in the first place). Abusing standard-essential patents in order to cover obvious design patent and trade dress infringement is just weak and sad.
String ’em up, EC!
Being number one in marketshare has it’s anti-benefits
It has nothing to do with market share. It has everything to do with violating the terms of standards essential patent agreements. It’s like agreeing to let the community hold picnics in your front yard and then suing people with big bank accounts for trespassing when they rely on your invitation. It’s brazenly dishonest and shameless. Samsung is a pack of thieves, as is their friend Google. If you like doing business with thieves and trust them not to steal from you and cheat you, then you deserve what you get. People who buy Samsung products are essentially buying “Rolex” watches out of the trunk of a Cadillac parked in a dark alley.
May the EU fine Samsung to the point that the EU has positive cash flow.
+100000000000000000
Don’t you love Europe? I do! I do!
Let me guess, final verdict in 2020 for $10 million
Clearly you are unaware of the heafty fines levied on Microsoft by the EU…
It’s just sad all around. The damage is done. You can’t go back & you can’t stand still…if the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will. Corupt as corrupt can be. I blame this whole fiasco on Eric T. MOLE the pinnacle of BACK STABBERS!!! Gaagle never to be trusted. Sad. Things could have been so much different. Eric T, Mole has no morals. Who does anymore? Lie, cheat & steal your way to profits. Android Dayz are numbered. All it will take is one MASSIVE security breach and its game over.
I can’t seem to grasp the seemingly wide definition of patents and application any legalities associated with them. I think Apple just needs to kick everyone else’s butt with stuff people want, and stay a few strides ahead of everyone else.
Oh, wait….