Samsung Forced To Hand Over Unreleased Products To Apple In Patent Dispute
from the that-doesn't-seem-right dept
In the ongoing silly patent fight between Apple and Samsung, the judge has ordered Samsung to give Apple some pre-release products (found via Copycense). While we've seen similar things before, this kind of order always bothers me, as it just seems wrong to order a competitor to hand over pre-release versions of competitive products. What if it turns out there's no infringement? Apple still gets to play with Samsung's products before they even hit the market? Why is this kind of thing allowed? Apple's -- and the court's -- argument is that this allows Apple to stop any possible infringement before it hits the market, but it also seems like there can be significant harm in sharing still secret info with a direct competitor. Even more bizarre is the basis for the judge's claim: that news reports quoted Samsung execs saying they wanted to change the Galaxy Tab to compete with the iPad 2. So what? In what way is it wrong for a competitor to shift gears once a new product hits the market? That's competition. What doesn't seem fair is Apple getting pre-release access to Samsung's products.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: patents, phones, tablets
Companies: apple, samsung
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Jokes at Apple's expense
Or
So that's how Apple innovates so fast yet still looks exactly the same as everyone else.
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Re: Jokes at Apple's expense
Apple : 310Bn market cap- source google finance
Samsung : also hundreds of billions - source wikipedia
OK, not small...
No-name?
"Apple" 1.2Bn hits (google)
"Samsung" 1.15Bn hits. (google)
OK. not no-name either.
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1- Sue competitor for patent infringement
2- Demand to see competitor's unreleased tech
3- Court agrees
4- Call the whole thing off. You already have what you came for
5- Patent competitor's technology
6- Profit!!!
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4- Get competitor to pay licensing fees just to get you off his back
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If those lawyers disclose confidential secrets to Apple, then that is pissing off the court (eg, contempt) and could result in sanctions including possibly jail for the lawyers.
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Samsung has already countersued Apple in multiple countries. 3 I think.
Samsung and Apple have asked the ITC to impound and destroy each others' phones. I hope they both get their wish. (please bear with me a moment . . .)
Samsung is much bigger than Apple. Samsung makes consumer electronics (TVs, mp3 planers, etc), appliances (washers / dryers, etc.), heavy industry (ever seen the Samsung logo on those giant gantry cranes that unload huge cargo ships?), and even jet engines. I think Samsung would survive if their phone business were disrupted. Apple, hopefully, would not.
This patent aggression must be stopped. Don't forget that Apple also sued HTC in spring of 2010 for making phones that were excessively awesome. Only Apple is allowed to do that. Doesn't everyone know that the smartphone business is God's gift exclusively to Apple?
Noticed articles recently that Apple is now looking to Intel for parts it used to get from Samsung? Gee, Intel doesn't make ARM chips. How about a nice power hungry hot running Atom processor? An iPhone with a built in cooling fan anyone? Jobs could show it on stage as the next innovation in smartphones!
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Nice, are those the ones that includes drug inducing or the ones that fly? Or... maybe both?
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Preview button? What preview button?
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Just realized how my joke sounds bad when you don't speak french... well, at least I did a bilingual joke.
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Samsung opted to put profits above fixing customers issues with the Galaxy Android phones when they got into a battle with the Phone companies over charging for updating the core Android OS. They wanted to charge the cell providers for the update to the OS because they considered it a Feature rather than a FIX. The fact that the OS was free for them only further sours my opinions of them.
I will NEVER buy another Samsung Phone or Tablet EVER because of this. If I had a choice for Cell I would drop the carrier too, but all the carriers united to refuse to pay for the Andriod update in that case. Both sides were equally wrong, BUT I have a choice with the Android Devices and Samsung was more in the wrong in my opinion.
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What they get to see is...
So as long as "sneak peak" now means common knowledge, Apple totally has a leg up on Samy.
This story is a mountain out of a mole hill if you ignore what devices were actually specified.
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Re: What they get to see is...
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WHAT_THE_FUCK?
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Are you sure?
Doesn't this mean Apple won't actually get to see/use the products?
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Re: Are you sure?
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"While the models have yet to be officially released to the public and Samsung has argued that examination of production samples that may not necessarily reflect final shipping versions is inappropriate, Koh noted that the argument is undermined by Samsung's publicity efforts that have seen images and even demo units handed out to members of the media. In one noteworthy example, 5,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1s were given away to attendees at the Google I/O conference earlier this month."
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What I'd do is..
Or make the prototype a pile of utter shit..since its a prototype then release the uber-cool 'final' version and point at Steve Jobs and laugh like a gibbon!
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Also
Short-term iphones would grind to a screaming halt as there'd be zero production (iphone vaporware anyone?).
Just make sure Jobs has announced the phone BEFORE you buy up every single vital component on the market! (or being as large as Samsung simply buy the component company and direct its entire output to Samsung)
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