Apple Targets Samsung With New Lawsuit Over 'Galaxy' Line

133658 galaxy tab 10 1 revised 500
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has filed a patent lawsuit against Samsung, targeting the Korean company's "Galaxy" line of Android-based smartphones and tablets.

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.

"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.

Samsung is one of Apple's chief suppliers for its own iOS-based devices, with Samsung manufacturing Apple's A4 and A5 systems-on-a-chip as well as LCD displays, flash memory, and other components.

Samsung is one the companies pushing ahead most aggressively in the tablet market to compete against Apple's iPad, having already released a 7-inch "Galaxy Tab" and announced larger 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch versions set to launch within the next few months. The company is of course also a major player in the Android-based smartphone market.

Update: All Things Digital has posted a few images from the lawsuit, a number of which show side-by-side comparisons between Apple's and Samsung's devices.

165102 iphone galaxy comparison

Top Rated Comments

MickyDees Avatar
165 months ago
I guess I can see Apple's point. But, aren't all tablets going to have a similar style and interface? It would seem like there can be only marginal differences in a touch screen interface.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
165 months ago
The first of apple lawsuits seems to go against apple :

HTC and Nokia score legal win against Apple

http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2011/04/20/htc-nokia-score-legal-win-against-apple.htm

Lets hope apple puts a bit more effort into iOS 5 and the iphone 5 and not in inventing legal charges against its competitors.
Well, that would be a good story, except that you left out half the facts.

Nokia sued Apple first. They started a court case about patents, which takes ages and ages, and they started a separate action against Apple to stop Apple from importing iPhones into the USA. That second kind of action is one that is very rarely successful. The next step was that obviously Apple countersued Nokia for patent infringement, and Apple took the same separate action against Nokia to stop them from importing Nokia phones into the USA. Nokia's attempt to stop Apple from importing iPhones into the USA was rejected a few months ago, quite predictably, and Apple's attempt to stop Nokia from importing phones into the USA was rejected just now, equally predictable.

The real action there is the case of Nokia against Apple. Apple against Nokia is just an unimportant (to Apple) side show; equally unimportant are both parties' attempts to stop imports.


You dont design a phone in weeks
You don't design a phone in weeks, but it is quite easy to show something that looks quite similar to an iPhone only weeks after seeing an iPhone for the first time. Compare the times between the first model shown and the actual phone released: iPhone was shown in January, released in April. Samsung phone was shown in February, released in November. Nine months vs. three months. A very clear indication that Samsung's phone was nowhere near the level of completed development that the iPhone was.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tinman0 Avatar
165 months ago
"Silly" being the operative word here.

Not at all.

Some of you guys really don't understand how important design is.

For instance, I have a very distinctive modern retro look car, but if a Chinese company were to copy it and start selling it, all hell would break lose. Companies don't invest large amounts of money designing something and then marketing it at huge cost, for someone to come along and copy the bits they like and chuck it out at much less cost.

Companies need protection from each other to stop designs and inventions being ripped off.

What is so difficult to understand about that?

Samsung are going to have their arse handed to them over the Apple lawsuit, and not only are Apple going to be able to show that Samsung copies their designs, but that Samsung copies everyones design.

So forget the question of whether the icon has square or round edges, Samsung are going to be shown as a company that respects no one, let alone Apple.

What would be interesting is whether anyone else files a similar suit, especially Nokia, now that Apple have got started.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
165 months ago
Yes, some Android device it have it. It has been previewed and even talked about in the Android community, as unimpressive as they are.
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/03/15/netflix-for-android-app-hijacked-from-the-lg-revolution/

A stolen app that doesn't actually stream anything is not "having it."
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maclaptop Avatar
165 months ago
If you drive down the street you see millions of cars that look very much alike, but car makers don't waste time suing each other over style similarities because they can rely on the performance specifics of their cars, and the buyers will compare and choose what's best for them.

Apple must be very worried about the slew of tablets coming out and it knows that its window of dominance is closing.
They are afraid of the competition.
You are absolutely correct, Apple is indeed very afraid of the competition.

They are deathly afraid of Android, for it they weren't, their legions of followers would not post the thousands of posts on this forum, bashing anything and everything about Android.

If Android was to go away tomorrow, they would go into shock, and be desperately seeking something else to take out their anger and issues on.

Never Happy, Apple is launching lawsuits left and right.

Fan-boys and Apple apologists are standing behind them with every excuse in the book, and at the end of the day they all relish the chaos.

Apple loves headlines, their users money, the power and control they have cultivated over the New York Times, and the legions of non thinking drones that worship Steve.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
165 months ago
Carmakers sue each other all the time, for things as silly as the number of slits in the front grill.

Ha! Jeep vs Hummer?

And Jeep lost, partly because even though many people did show confusion between the two brands, the actual buyers themselves did not.

Of course, it also helped that the court ruled that GM had no intention of causing confusion. Not sure that Samsung would get away with that.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UPC differs from a typical front ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Event Still

Apple Pushes Back Against iPhone USB-C Regulations in India

Tuesday December 5, 2023 4:18 am PST by
Apple has asked the Indian government to exempt existing iPhones from new rules that require smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port, reports Reuters. India wants to replicate an upcoming European Union rule that requires all smartphones to implement the USB-C charging standard. However, according to a new report, Apple has told India its local production targets will...