Facebook, Google and Other Silicon Valley Companies Side with Samsung in Patent Case

[MacRumors]

Facebook, Google, eBay, HP, Dell and other Silicon Valley companies weighed in on the ongoing Samsung and Apple patent case, siding with the Korean company in a "friend of the court" briefing filed on July 1 to the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and first spotted by Inside Sources [PDF via AppleInsider]. The companies argue that the court ordering Samsung to turn over profits would lead to stifled innovation.

If allowed to stand, that decision will lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies, including [the briefing draftees], who spend billions of dollars annually on research and development for complex technologies and their components.

The companies contend that technology like smartphones, which include thousands of different components in both hardware and software, is too complex to award profits, like Samsung is being ordered to do, based on individual component infringements. They argue that any company could then be opened up to patent infringement cases for insignificant features like a specific user interface creation that only appears on a single screen of an app, therefore stifling innovation.

After the companies submitted their thoughts to the court, Apple responded by arguing their thoughts should be dismissed. The Cupertino company specifically called out Google, pointing out that the company has a strong interest in the case because its behind the Android operating system used by Samsung and that the Mountain View company cannot be an impartial "friend of the court".

In mid-June, Samsung asked the court to reconsider a central part of a recent ruling that ensured Apple would receive $548 million in damages, with Samsung wanting the court to rehear the case with a full 12-judge roster rather than the 3-judge panel it used in the previous ruling. That previous ruling reduced Apple's reward from $900 million to $548 million.

Article Link: Facebook, Google and Other Silicon Valley Companies Side with Samsung in Patent Case

 

[farewelwilliams]

Reasons
Samsung:

Google:

HP:

Dell:

Facebook:

 

[ProwlingTiger]

The Galaxy S6 Active is the only thing original from Samsung these days, and I do commend them on it. If I were a blue collar worker, I'd consider it.

 

[Mcmeowmers]

From $900 Billion to ~$500 Million. Typo?

 

[currocj]

Avoid 15 years, 50 lawyers, $100MM in legal fees, and endless appeals and just let Samsung pay a $1 fine, move on and give me $1MM for avoiding said pain and waste

 

[Mcmeowmers]

if Samsung copied HP and Dell, they would be doing exactly what Apple is doing.

Unfortunately their products aren't worth copying.

Samsung had an "iPhone" looking phone out before the iPhone.

 

[currocj]

The Galaxy S6 Active is the only thing original from Samsung these days, and I do commend them on it. If I were a blue collar worker, I'd consider it.

But you are instead a?

 

[japanime]

With friends of the court like these, who needs enemies?

 

[farewelwilliams]

Samsung had an "iPhone" looking phone out before the iPhone.

 

[Tubamajuba]

But... but... they had this one obscure phone that kinda sorta looked like it might have been an iPhone...

 

[sniffies]

National traitors. Facebook, Google et al. should be prosecuted.

 

[Kagami190]

Trouble in paradise, Silicon Valley?

 

[macsba]

Time to boycott the scums. MacRumors, if you have adverts from Newegg, I'll close my forum account and never peak on your website ever again.

I HAD IT!

 

[Wreckus]

I hate samsung even more now. If this goes through, Facebook & Google can kiss my ass and I'll cancel my Facebook account and will not use google anymore.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

well not surprising. although i'm unsure why ebay of all people care.

 

[arian19]

That previous ruling reduced Apple's reward from $900 billion to $548 million.

900 billion?! Lol

 

[ronntaylor]

"That previous ruling reduced Apple's reward from $900 billion to $548 million."

No, it was remanded for a second time to be recalculated. While Apple is likely to get a lower amount added to the judgment, it could could actually be higher.

 

[thasan]

900 billion?! Lol

Should have been that amount .. Hahaha

 

[JXShine]

Samsung:

Google:

HP:

Dell:

you forgot about this one

 

[farewelwilliams]

you forgot about this one
View attachment 570036

updated

 

[macsba]

I placed this note in the eBay feedback page:

Just to let you know that I am seriously considering canceling my account with you since you filed a briefing with the court against Apple. Your actions are very wrong headed in the business environment. Your corporation is base out of the US and you're siding with a foreign company that is doing serious harm to a company based in the US. I wonder if I should report you to the NSA, FBI, CIA, and others. Do you have products for sale that harm US citizens from terrorist organizations? I may send an inquiry to the California State Attorney General for your actions.

 

[Candlelight]

I placed this note in the eBay feedback page:

Just to let you know that I am seriously considering canceling my account with you since you filed a briefing with the court against Apple. Your actions are very wrong headed in the business environment. Your corporation is base out of the US and you're siding with a foreign company that is doing serious harm to a company based in the US. I wonder if I should report you to the NSA, FBI, CIA, and others. Do you have products for sale that harm US citizens from terrorist organizations? I may send an inquiry to the California State Attorney General for your actions.

You seriously wrote that? Geez, they're just tech companies. Get over yourselves.

 

[thekev]

That previous ruling reduced Apple's reward from $900 billion to $548 million.

That's quite a reduction.

Your corporation is base out of the US and you're siding with a foreign company that is doing serious harm to a company based in the US.

What difference does that make? Companies with foreign headquarters are entitled to the same treatment with most things, including litigation proceedings.

 

[4jasontv]

Newegg: A company that sells overpriced PC parts that caters to basement-dwelling windows fanboys.

Really? I have been looking at building a PC for weeks and their prices are almost always one of the lowest. Typically when they are higher it's because the item is coming from another seller, kinda the way stores can sell through Amazon.

I am curious, where do you shop online for parts?

 

[gorskiegangsta]

"If allowed to stand, that decision will lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies, including [the briefing draftees], who spend billions of dollars annually on research and development for complex technologies and their components."

God forbid that happens. Let's let Apple's use their cash to cover R&D for the entire Silicon Valley. While we're at it, why not force them to give out tech patent freebies every Christmas. They're rich bastards anyway, amirite? /s

OR (just a wild thought) how about we let the companies do their own R&D and stop holding their hand. Samsung's scummy infringement practices have bankrupted, or virtually bankrupted, multiple competitors in the course of their slimy history and the only reason Google is defending them is because they're dependent on their largest OEM.