“Samsung on Wednesday introduced a new smartphone application called ‘Wallet,’ which bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s own Passbook feature,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider.
“The new Wallet application for Android carries store cards, event tickets, boarding passes, and coupons,” Hughes reports. “As noted by The Verge, the resemblance to Apple’s Passbook is striking, even down to the icon Samsung chose to use.”
Hughes reports, “Samsung’s announcement of Wallet, and its similarities to Apple’s Passbook, are noteworthy because Apple for years has been accusing Samsung of copying its devices.”
Read more in the full article here.
Read The Verge‘s report here.
MacDailyNews Take: Color us wholly unsurprised. The slavish copier out of Samsungorea strikes again.
At this point, anyone who supports Samsung has no concern for ethical behavior, not to mention intellectual property rights.
So, what’s Apple’s recourse? Sue them and let it wind though the world’s court “systems” for about five years upon which time any verdicts rendered will be meaningless.
Having long ago passed the point of ridiculousness, perhaps Tim Cook should ring up his friends in Washington D.C. and ask for the delivery of a meaningful message to South Korea about respecting intellectual property rights, among other things?
Related articles:
Korea JoongAng Daily: Samsung must stop slavishly copying Apple – September 3, 2012
South Korea reassesses its great imitator, Samsung – September 2, 2012
Convicted patent infringer Samsung acuses Apple of trying to limit consumer choice – September 1, 2012
Is Samsung copying Apple’s patented earphones? It sure looks like it – September 8, 2012
Samsung mimics Apple product videos in Galaxy S III promo (with video) – August 24, 2012
Now slavish copycat Samsung attempts to knockoff Apple’s retail stores (with video) – August 23, 2012
Samsung: Shameless slavish copiers – August 13, 2012
Apple attorney: Instead of innovating, Samsung chose to copy iPhone and iPad – July 31, 2012
Apple: Google warned Samsung against slavishly copying our products – July 25, 2012
Now Samsung slavishly copies Apple’s Mac mini – June 1, 2012
Samsung Mobile chief ‘designer’ denies that Samsung’s instinct is to slavishly copy Apple – March 23, 2012
Slavish copier Samsung shamelessly steals Apple’s iPhone 3G design – again – January 3, 2012
Slavish copier Samsung uses girl actress from iPhone 4S ad for Galaxy Tab 8.9 spot (with video) – January 2, 2012
Now Samsung’s slavishly copying Apple’s iPad television ads (with videos) – December 30, 2011
Judge: Can you tell me which is iPad and which is yours? Samsung lawyer: ‘Not at this distance your honor’ – October 14, 2011
Why are Apple’s icons on the wall of Samsung’s store? – September 24, 2011
Apple to Samsung: ‘Blatant copying is wrong’ – April 18, 2011
Apple sues Samsung for attempting to copy look and feel of iPhone, iPad – April 18, 2011
Samsung’s ‘Instinct’ is obviously to make Apple iPhone knockoffs – April 1, 2008
Passbook is a head scratcher. Not the most intuitive Apple product out there. You have to go through so many steps to validate your app against Passbook it’s almost like self strangulation.
Never even opened it, I’m not sure if there’s anyone outside the US who utilises it, certainly I’ve never heard of anyone in the UK who’s taken it up.
I agree – Passbook is a great concept but I find the ability for user to easily execute use is mind numbing.
I think that Passbook is still in its infancy, for sure, and it doesn’t have that killer feature that will make everyone use it regularly (being able to pay for most stuff with it).
My issue is not how long it takes to get things into Passbook (which doesn’t seem to be that difficult to me, but I’m also not expecting much), but with how few apps actually take advantage of it.
Currently, the best thing I’ve got in my Passbook is a train ticket to Hogwarts and a theater ticket to the Star Wars premiere. Not very useful, but fun to show friends.
Still copying?
Still boycotting.
Samsung will continue to copy Apple until the laws change. There is no incentive for them to do any differently since they profit greatly from copying / cloning Apple’s hard work and get away with it. It’s a very sad situation but I think the smart people know better and don’t support them. Samsung should be ashamed of themselves.
The laws don’t need to change; they need to be upheld. Bobble head Suzi Koh let the Apple-Samsung trial drag on while allowing Sammy to continue to file ridiculous motions, flagrantly break court rules and basically make a farce out of our patent defense system. Then she essentially neutered a jury verdict of willful infringement. Her singular debacle set US companies back about 10 years.
LOVE your avatar of Ash @GroovyBruce (Twitter). Quite apropos. I, for one would love to see Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe on TV’s “Burn Notice”) be the new spokesperson for Appple. He’s a huge fan of the company.
I’m ashamed to say I’ve never even thought about that! He’d be the most kick-ass spokesperson in Apple’s history.
Note that Judge Lucy Koh has still not issued her final decision on penalties, fully 6 months after the trial verdict! The trial is still not over, and the penalties cannot be appealed until that happens. Koh’s dilatory decision likely ensures that appeals will drag on into 2014.
Samsung won’t be ashamed of themselves. What they are doing is basic and standard practice for Korean conglomerates. Corporate espionage, copying and stealing is how most of these Big name companies got to where they want to be. And they have the Korean government in their pocket so they can use the Korean government almost how they see fit to protect themselves in Korea and abroad. I am not even exaggerating. Samsung is just doing what they do naturally and have been since the beginning. Apple is just the target of the day.
Virtual condom?
As far as the MDN take: Foolish, stupid, small penised and immature. Perhaps when Tim calls DC they will tell them that South Korea gets special protection from the USA because of that guy with the bad haircut to the North.
Propping up the South Korean economy is one of the main jobs of pour government, and all sides of the political spectrum support that maneuver.
While samsung manufactures it’s products in N. Korea?
And where did you say that “prop money” was going?
… you have a problem with small penises?
You can imagine how people at Samsung smirk while copying or slavishly referencing to Apple’s works.
We all copy to a certain extend. But there are difference between shamelessly doing it and respectfully being inspired by it.
I wish I have better words to convey such concept, but well, shame on those who glorify bad business mannerism, and sugar coat it with the legal ridicules…
Would you trust a thief with your wallet?
Exactly. Ha ha
Slavish copying against Apple has been officially condoned in the court of Judge Lucy Koh and a parade of spineless judges in the U.S.
Agreed. I believe the courts will tell Apple to send over information to Samsung prior to the release so Samsung can get their rip off copies to market first. Also, send Google a copy to help keep the Android current with the theft. I believe the courts feel we should leave no crook behind.
That’s a pretty brutal copy. However … if they can make it work better than Apple’s Passbook which seems to not be going so well…
US troops out of South Korea — now !
is there some legal impediment to apple filing their lawsuits in east texas? at least they wouldn’t draw lucy-goosey as presiding ring mistress.
Oh come on! They are completely different. Samsung used a smaller radius on the corners and the ‘pocket’ is horizontal rather than diagonal. It is true that the back ground is black but that is not patentable. The airplane is on the blue ticket and going the other direction. The movie ticket is green instead of blue and there are more tickets in the ‘pocket’. Can’t you see the difference?
I hate to say it, but I think samsung’s icon is a bit more eye catching.
“Tim Cook should ring up his friends in Washington D.C.”
And they will smile, cluck their tongues and nod their heads in sympathy, and then quietly go back to business as usual; i.e. doing nothing.
I know it’s redundant to say, but I can’t believe how copyright laws do so little to stop these blatant copycats! Shameless!
I guess Samsung was right. The next big thing is already here. They just forgot to mention that it was from Apple.
Just go thermonuclear on your advertising targeting Samsung. How they mock iPhone users standing in line, I’m sure some top flight creative pro can come out with something. Time to have another campaign geared more to the younger crowd.
It looks to me that Apple’s designers, Google’s engineers, they all eventually works for Samsung. Samsung just copy from everyone, stick a cheap price tag then push it through their humongous marketing machine. Guess what? Clueless people fall in line to buy. Yes this is a crazy world. http://linwangge.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/samsungs-recent-copy-of-apple-and-their-secret-ingredient-for-success/
Samsung may as well change its logo to a fruit now and make black turtle neck the official uniform of its top executives.
PASSBOOK IS A STOLEN PRODUCT!
As much as Samsung Wallet may seem to resemble passbook, you cannot defeat the fact that back in 2012 Apple was sued for willfully and blatantly infringing patents so that it could create its passbook feature.
APPLE HYPOCRISY!