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UK Judge Rules Apple Must Publish Notices Acknowledging Samsung Did Not Copy iPad

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Business Insider points to a Bloomberg bulletin indicating that a UK judge has ruled Apple must display on its UK website and in British newspapers a notice acknowledging that Samsung did not copy the design of the iPad with its Galaxy Tab 10.1. The UK court had previously ruled that the Galaxy Tab did not infringe upon Apple's design, with the judge observing that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is simply "not as cool" as the iPad.

galaxy_tab_10_1_revised-500x359.jpg

According to the news flash, Apple will need to post the notice on its UK website for six months. Apple can presumably still appeal the ruling, although that information has not yet been disclosed.

We'll update this article once the full Bloomberg report is available.

Update: Bloomberg's article has gone live with additional details on the situation.
The notice should outline the July 9 London court decision that Samsung's Galaxy tablets don't infringe Apple's registered designs, Judge Colin Birss said. It should be posted on Apple's U.K. website for six months and published in several newspapers and magazines to correct the damaging impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple's product, Birss said.

The order means Apple will have to publish "an advertisement" for Samsung, and is prejudicial to the company, Richard Hacon, a lawyer representing Cupertino, California-based Apple, told the court. "No company likes to refer to a rival on its website."
Click to expand...
Samsung had also requested that Apple be barred from making public statements claiming that the Galaxy Tab had infringed upon the iPad design, but Birss ruled that Apple is within its rights to make such claims in line with the company's belief that the ruling is incorrect.

Article Link: UK Judge Rules Apple Must Publish Notices Acknowledging Samsung Did Not Copy iPad
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/18/uk-judge-rules-apple-must-publish-notices-acknowledging-samsung-did-not-copy-ipad/
57004

57004

Cancelled
Aug 18, 2005
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Lol I bet Apple will include that 'not as cool as iPad' somewhere in their mandatory notice..

And they can legally prove it's true... I don't see why they wouldn't want to point that out :)
 
Peace

Peace

Cancelled
Apr 1, 2005
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Is this judge actually serious ?

Why not have Apple hire someone to walk around in front of Apple Stores with a sign that says the same thing. That's just as stupid as this "ruling"
 
L

LastLine

macrumors 65816
Aug 24, 2005
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GekkePrutser said:
Lol I bet Apple will include that 'not as cool as iPad' somewhere in their mandatory notice..

And they can legally prove it's true... I don't see why they wouldn't want to point that out :)
Click to expand...
Agreed. I'd love them to turn it into a full on marketing campaign.
 
hobo.hopkins

hobo.hopkins

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2008
569
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I don't understand this at all. Unless Apple was previously asserting on their website that Samsung was copying the iPad, I don't see how they can force them to even mention another company in that way. Seems silly to me.
 
2

2bikes

macrumors 6502
Mar 9, 2012
420
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Do they also have to start selling Samsung tabs on their websites?!? Give me a break.

This sounds like a kids` bet where one has to wear a loser shirt to school.
 
KnightWRX

KnightWRX

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Jan 28, 2009
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Peace said:
Is this judge actually serious ?

Why not have Apple hire someone to walk around in front of Apple Stores with a sign that says the same thing. That's just as stupid as this "ruling"
Click to expand...

Apple maybe should have toned down the media bashing and libel against Samsung if they didn't want to have to do this. You know, wait until a court has decided something before you go make claims of "blatant copying". Look how much it's been picked up by people, now Apple have to undo the damage and injury they caused with their unfounded accusations.
 
iBreatheApple

iBreatheApple

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Sep 3, 2011
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Ouch. I can see this making Apple cringe. They're not ones to do stuff like this so I'm sure they're not happy. I wonder how they'll carry out the "notice."
 
Nunyabinez

Nunyabinez

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Apr 27, 2010
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Not a lawyer, but I can't imagine this surviving on appeal. Granted the UK is not the US, but since when do you have to publicize the loss of a case? Pay the defendant's legal fee, yes, but this seems weird to me. I could see if it were a libel case where you WON, that you would ask to have a retraction, but this is not that kind of case. Plus, why would any one who visits Apple's site care about the fact that Samsung didn't copy? Shouldn't that be more interesting to people who visit Samsung's site?
 
P

pdjudd

macrumors 601
Jun 19, 2007
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hobo.hopkins said:
I don't understand this at all. Unless Apple was previously asserting on their website that Samsung was copying the iPad, I don't see how they can force them to even mention another company in that way. Seems silly to me.
Click to expand...
Me too. At most they could force Apple to retract marketing, but I seriously doubt they can dictate such things on a website. That could constitute advertising. IMO the most a judge could do is force Apple to make a public statement acknowledging such a thing, but they can't dictate a websites design for an extended period of time - especially when they never made such statements online in the first place.

ETA: Even more so given that this is not a libel case at all. Anything public Apple did say is totally irrelevant since they are not being charged with libel or slander. I don't see this surviving appeal.
 
MacSince1990

MacSince1990

macrumors 65816
Oct 6, 2009
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"Not as cool as the iPad"? Honestly, why do judges and attorney's always have to speak in legalese I can't understand... would plain English kill them?

:D
 
Master Atrus

Master Atrus

macrumors regular
Oct 17, 2003
128
95
This is awesome! Think of all the fun could have with this ...

"This is our announcement that Samsung did not copy the iPad with their Galaxy Tab. Even if they tried to, it doesn't matter because Judge so and so says it 'isn't as cool' as an iPad. Click here to purchase your "cool" iPad."

(so, not the best spot, but you get the idea)
 
A

Anti-Lucifer

macrumors 6502a
Mar 9, 2012
776
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rafaltrus said:
Following the same logic, there should be only one maker of cars -__-
Click to expand...

right, the only auto maker I see doing the same thing in the car industry is hyundai (another korean company) imitating the likes of mercedes, bmw.

I thought chinese companies were bad at copying, korean companies are worse.
 
2

2bikes

macrumors 6502
Mar 9, 2012
420
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rafaltrus said:
Following the same logic, there should be only one maker of cars -__-
Click to expand...

I don't think that is a healthy comparison. It is more like this: Mercedes-Benz comes up with a design, and some other company (say Hyundai) makes a car very similar to it. Don`t consider the engine and the wheels etc. That`s what I see with before and after iPad pictures. There are still processors, touch interfaces, rams but you see different designs.
 
derbothaus

derbothaus

macrumors 601
Jul 17, 2010
4,093
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Ha Ha. At least UK judges have a little common sense. If you let other judges approve patent status on things as general as "touch based input for mobile phone" there is no ending to the litigation possible (and money and legal fees) The new gold mine is patent lawyer (used to be doctor/ real lawyer) at least until we pull our collective heads out of our asses.
 
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