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Bloomberg reports that Apple has filed a new lawsuit in Germany against Samsung, seeking to ban sales of ten different smartphone models over alleged design infringement.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) filed another suit in Germany, seeking to ban sales of Samsung Electronics (005930) Co.’s smartphone models, including the Galaxy S Plus and the S II.

The suit targeting 10 smartphones was filed in the Dusseldorf Regional Court and is based on Apple design rights Apple in Europe, court spokesman Peter Schuetz said via phone today. Apple also started a separate suit against five Samsung tablet computer models related to a September ruling banning the Galaxy 10.1., he said.

Germany has already been the site of a significant amount of legal action between Apple and Samsung, with Apple winning an injunction barring the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in that country. Samsung has apparently circumvented that injunction with the release of a design-tweaked Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the German market, although Apple continues to press forward with its legal efforts against Samsung's tablets.

Top Rated Comments

samcraig Avatar
152 months ago
You can't easily litigate against the same entity you are shamelessly ripping off.

This is why Samsung has consistently been on the defensive, while what few of their attacks against Apple have been half-hearted at best.

They even admitted their guilt:

You have it completely wrong and are stuck in your reality distortion field.

A) they haven't admitted they've copied Apple. Nothing in that cut/paste job you did even suggests that.

B) IP and patents are so vast and complicated that it is EXTREMELY easy to overlap or unknowingly use or create something that has already been patented. Especially since language to too vague.

C) Even if they WERE aware - they might have every intention of challenging patents for being too vague and/or what they seem as not worthy of being patented

D) They haven't admitted to guilt for what YOU think they've admitted to. You seem to think they are admitting that they copy Apple. No - they've admitted nothing of the sort. They've admitted that there have been instances where their products have seemingly used technology that has been patented and that they take THOSE items seriously.

How is this bad? How is a company taking patent offenses seriously a bad thing? Would you prefer they issue statements stating they don't give a crap and Apple can kiss their butts?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dr McKay Avatar
152 months ago
Apple is pretty committed. Nice to see them keeping up the pressure and consistently following through on their claims.

And yet if this was Samsung suing Apple, you'd be spouting your usual "Those who can't innovate, litigate".
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reefoid Avatar
152 months ago
You can't easily litigate against the same entity you are shamelessly ripping off.

This is why Samsung has consistently been on the defensive, while what few of their attacks against Apple have been half-hearted at best.

They even admitted their guilt:

The only reason Samsung has been on the offensive is because Apple keep chasing them, usually on very spurious claims. How many of Apple's claims have actually been proven? Very few. As they say, throw enough **** and some of it will stick. And Apple certainly seem to enjoy throwing lots of **** around.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danahn17 Avatar
152 months ago
Again? Well since this is like a weekly event now, here's a summary of what always seems to happen:

Apple sues Samsung:
- Apple: :)
- Samsung: :mad:
- Lawyers: :D:D:D
- LTD : :D:D:D:D

Samsung sues Apple:
- Apple: :mad:
- Samsung: :)
- Lawyers : :D:D:D
- LTD : :eek::eek::eek::mad::mad::mad:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
152 months ago
Apple seems to be doing both, actually: innovating and litigating. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Look at what Siri has done to the industry, for instance. Look at all the interesting (and timely, such interesting timing!) industry news following Siri. Again, Siri happens to be on an Apple product.

Besides that, take a good look at what went on at CES. Apple's influence is palpable - the MacBook Air situation being just one example. It's interesting that the biggest player at CES wasn't even there. Never mind Apple's current innovations, the industry can barely keep up with Apple's past innovations. THe iPhone 3GS, for instance, still outsells a lot of newer Android models.

The industry is following almost in lock-step with Apple, and are apparently using Apple's R&D department quite liberally. I'll grant that to some degree Apple probably feels quite flattered. But at some point that has to be put aside and a real look has to be taken at the material (and brand-related) ramifications of allowing some (or in this case, one) of the biggest thieves in the industry to operate unfettered.

Again - that's your version of the reality distortion field.

Laptops have always been striving to be thinner, lighter and have more power. Nothing new there.

Monitor resolution has always been one of the improvements with each new screen over the years. Nothing new there.

Voice recognition and AI is also nothing new and the industry has had it for years. Nothing new there.

I am not saying Apple doesn't pioneer nor do they not innovate. But unlike you, I can at least acknowledge that the rest of the industry isn't always FOLLOWING Apple as if they are looking at what Apple is doing and copying. More often than not - companies are following the natural progression of technology.

It's the age-old battle - is it better to be first or is it better to have the better product.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reefoid Avatar
152 months ago
Apple might very well win an injunction again. It costs Apple very little to keep this going, both in terms of resources and in terms of consumer mindshare. It's in their best interests to keep subjecting Samsung's IP and their design decisions to legal tests.

We already know the way Samsung plays the game. They're rip-off artists par excellence. It would be silly to let them get away with it.

But the injunction last time meant nothing, Samsung got round it by supplying from non-German sources as the court only had authority to issue an injunction against Samsung Germany.

So what, exactly, is the point of this? It doesn't ultimately stop any sales. Samsung just get on with their business and Apple look like more and more like a litigation company. I can see in 20 years time Apple being a law firm rather than a tech firm:rolleyes:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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