“Samsung on Saturday accused Apple of resorting to litigation in an effort to limit consumer choice after the iPhone maker said it was seeking to stop the sale of Galaxy S III smartphones in the United States,” Youkyung Lee reports for The Associated Press. “Fresh from its $1 billion court victory over Samsung Electronics Co, Apple Inc., in a separate case, asked a federal district court in San Jose, California, on Friday to add four more products to a list of Samsung goods that Apple says infringe its patents.”
“The new list of 21 products includes Samsung’s flagship smartphone Galaxy S III as well as the Galaxy Note, another popular Android phone,” Lee reports. “If the court finds those devices are infringing Apple’s patents and irreparably harming the U.S. company, it could temporarily halt sales in the U.S. market even before the trial begins… Last month, a jury in the San Jose court found that Samsung had copied Apple’s design innovations and Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion.”
Lee reports, “On Saturday, Samsung denounced Apple’s attempt to halt sales of the S III, which hit the 10 million global sales mark in July, less than three months after its release. ‘Apple continues to resort to litigation over market competition in an effort to limit consumer choice,’ Samsung said in a statement. ‘We will continue to take the necessary legal measures to ensure the availability of our innovative products in the United States.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple is enforcing their patented IP, as is their fiduciary responsibility. If Samsung was really interested in “consumer choice,” they wouldn’t be offering iPhone and iPad knockoffs, but instead be creating and making original, legal products that do not steal other companies’ patented property. Samsung, by willfully infringing on Apple’s design patents, risked limiting “consumer choice” sometime in the future. Samsung’s gamble failed. Their only real regret is that they lost the case. All of the fault lies with Samsung, not Apple. Blame the criminal, not the victim.
Those whining nearly as much as Samsung are those who invested in stolen technology. To each of them we say: “Tough shit, settler. You should’ve bought a real iPhone like a smart person.”
As we wrote last Monday: Apple created the modern day smartphone and taught the world what an iPhone is. This was not trivial, nor was it free.
The reason there are copies – of anything – is to take for free (steal) that which was paid for by the original maker: The R&D, the salary and perks of the world’s preeminent industrial designer [and his team], the education of the public through TV spots and a very expensive network of retail outlets, the hundreds of millions in online, print, television, etc. marketing, everything that goes into a product.
This why a maker of knockoff handbags makes Coach knockoffs, to trade on Coach’s work in order to move their fake wares without investing in the design, marketing, etc. This is why a maker of auto knockoffs makes BMW knockoffs. This is why Samsung knocked off iPhone. Samsung stole Apple’s work and they traded on Apple’s considerable investment. This is why the jury found Samsung guilty.
There is no market for paintings of Campbell’s soup cans without Warhol.
Making knockoffs isn’t flattery, it’s theft. It’s also an expression of companies’ disdain and low opinion of their own customers.
Apple’s products came first, then Samsung’s:
Here’s what Google’s Android looked like before and after Apple’s iPhone:
Related articles:
Apple files amended complaint, adds Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note, Note 10.1 to list of patent infringing devices – September 1, 2012
Steve Jobs vindicated by Apple v. Samsung verdict – August 28, 2012
Apple kicks Google’s Android in the teeth; $1.05 billion jury award may really be worth $450 billion – August 27, 2012