“Apple Inc. sued Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. claiming the Korean electronics giant copied the look and feel of its popular iPhone smartphones and iPad tablet computers,” Ian Sherr reports for Dow Jones.
“The lawsuit, filed on April 15 in the Northern District of California, alleged that Samsung’s smartphones, such as the ‘Galaxy S 4G,’ ‘Epic 4G,’ ‘Nexus S’ and its ‘Galaxy Tab’ touchscreen tablet, violated Apple’s intellectual property,” Sherr reports. “‘Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products,’ the lawsuit said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: On September 17, 2010, we wrote that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab deserved to be “hit with a very well-deserved Apple Trade Dress Infringement lawsuit (at the very least).”
FINALLY! Jesus, it took Apple long enough to fight back.
This still isn’t the big fight, it’s just a stepping stone. They’ve won a lot of smaller lawsuits against smaller companies. Now they’re going after a medium sized one.
All of this is meant to set precedence before they go after the Google.
Apple is patient, taking their time, doing it right. Google’s gotta be nervous.
Medium sized one. If Samsung is Medium sized what do you consider large?
Indeed!
Samsung no yatsuya! Kowai ni nare!
medium sized? Samsung is one of the worlds largest conglomerate companies in the world… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung
that’s because Apple is now worried of Samsung phones!
Samsung is coming out with hot phones and Apple is scared shit.
Apple scared? Ha. They could go on a two-year vacation and leave everything as-is; come back and still have no reason to worry.
Fear isn’t what drives Apple.
Long time coming – Balls to the wall.
Nice! Sends an interesting message to RIM the day before they release their “iPad killer”.
Apple will take no prisoners
Bout Time.
Apple is supposed to purchase something line US$7.8 billion worth of components from Samsung this year, making Apple Samsung’s largest customer.
Note to Samsung: Dance with who brung ya.
Lolz!
Hope “look and feel” goes better than last time
It’d be difficult to do better than “last time,” hannsg:
In 1999, Apple successfully sued eMachines, whose eOne too closely resembled the then-new iMac’s trade dress. The eOne was taken off the market, resulting in eMachines’ losing the ability to sell the eOne as intended.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._litigation
It’s about time….
Unlike the patent trolls’ favourite east Texas venue, Apple sues where they live.
I wish Texas WOULD secede from the US. The IQ average of Americans would triple overnight.
Dude! Really? Was that necessary? Many of us have better than average intelligence here, I assure you…
I used to live in Tejas & there are a lot of really nice & intelligent people there. The problem is that they are drowning in a sea of crazies.
I remember a Governor losing his reelection bid because of his then unique support for “don’t pass-don’t play” in Texas schools. The win at any cost crazies went wild and organized against him for simply requiring students to be in good academic standing before participating in team sports, etc.
Actually, Texas is home to a *lot* of high-tech companies. Indeed, the East District court region (where most of the patent trolls file) is a *very* high-tech area. I serious question your statement that the average American IQ would increase if Texas seceded. Indeed, I’d be willing to argue that it would actually drop.
I’m from California, btw.
@ RDF:
The Dallas area has one of the highest percentages of college-educated citizens in the country. Take your stupid remarks somewhere else.
Because this is intellectual property, not patent violation. Big difference.
The USPTO has now approved sufficient Apple design patents that leave few plaintiff escape routes in IP litigation. The beginning of what Apple promised to transgressors has started …
I think you mean defendants?
This is a carefully calculated move. Unlike the earlier suit against HTC, this one involves a manufacturing partner for whom Apple is easily its biggest customer. Samsung cannot afford to play this badly – given a choice between throwing Goggle under the bus or facing off with Apple, Samsung doesn’t have many good moves. This is global business chess at the grand master level and Google just got checked.
By the way, there is like ZERO chance Apple is going to let Google buy the Nextel patents. Look for an unexpected gang – led by Apple – to be the high bidders.
Well said. I too believe Apple will swoop in at the last minute and take the patents out from under google. It will be an interesting turn for google, and I look for the competition to begin to heat up in the next 12-15 months.
That would be Nortel.
Ooops, you are right. Brain was thinking one thing, fingers typed another…
Now, all Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has to do is write and compile a few thousand apps, set up a easy on-line way to sell and distribute them and tie them into all the other companion electronic devices, … and they will have a iPad / iPhone / iPod killer!
They just bought the farm 😉
I can’t wait to see what Samdung has to say about this. Gonna be fun watching these copy cats squirm. This time no whimpy clueless Apple CEO to sign off the new crown jewels. Go get em Apple!
Of course the Apple haters will see this as a sign of desperation sparked by Android’s rapid rise.
Apple has unleashed the atom bomb on the knock-off merchants.