“The UK judge who ordered Apple to issue multiple statements saying that Samsung didn’t copy the design of the iPad has been hired on by Samsung to act as an expert in an ITC investigation,” Kevin Bostic reports for AppleInsider.
“The Rt. Hon. Professor Sir Robin Jacob has been brought on as one of nine ‘experts […] working on behalf of’ Samsung according to FOSS Patents,” Bostic reports. “Samsung’s counsel submitted the filing listing Jacob as an expert witness in court on Wednesday. ”
Bostic reports, “In November of last year, Jacob ruled that Apple had failed to properly comply with a court order that it should prominently display on its website that Samsung had not copied the design of Apple’s iPad… Speaking on Apple’s initial attempt at complying with the court order, Jacob’s opinion read: ‘I hope that the lack of integrity involved in this incident is entirely atypical of Apple.'”
Read more in the full article here.
FLorian Mueller writes for FOSS Patents, “For someone so concerned with “integrity” it is utterly unusual to issue a high-profile and extreme ruling in favor of a particular party (Samsung in this case) only to be hired as an expert by that same party in another dispute.”
“I’m sure that Samsung and Sir Robin Jacob wouldn’t be doing this if there was any risk of this conduct violating the law,” Mueller writes. “Apparently an ex-judge who is invited to rule on a case involving a given party is not barred by existing UK rules (though this case here may spark a debate whether some reform is needed) from being hired by the same party in another litigation outside the UK less than four months later.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’d like to think that we’ve now seen everything, but, sadly, we don’t believe that’s the case.
Previously, we called this one of the stupidest judgements in history. It’s looking like something even worse now.
Obviously, to anyone with even a passing acquaintance to integrity, this moron ex-judge should have refused any and all offers from the slavish copier Samsung. Any random seven year old would have enough sense. That this abject fool didn’t do so forcefully and forthrightly tells you all you need to know about his character or lack thereof.
There is nothing uglier than a man who lacks integrity.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz,” “Arline M.,” and “Edward W.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s reformed ‘apology’ to uncool Samsung appears in UK newspapers – November 2, 2012
UK judge orders Apple to rewrite website apology for uncool Samsung – November 1, 2012
Apple posts public apology to Samsung in UK – October 26, 2012
UK court upholds judgement: Samsung tablet does not infringe on Apple’s iPad designs because it’s ‘not as cool’; Apple forced to run ads saying Samsung did not copy iPad – October 18, 2012
The hiring makes it easy to make the payoff without legal risk.
Wow!
Can Apple use this to reverse the ruling and ask for another trial?
I’m not in any way defending Samsung. This article, not yet picked up by MDN is pretty shocking:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tax-evasion-bribery-and-pricefixing-how-samsung-became-the-giant-that-ate-korea-8510588.html