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Apple Targets Samsung With New Lawsuit Over 'Galaxy' Line

jmcrutch said:
Actually, YOU win. The United States provides for patents to "promote" and "further" advancements in the things that we all come here to discuss everyday. One can argue the merits of such a system but that is one of the purposes of the patent laws. Basically, incentive to make the world a better place for all.

Take away the incentive and there might not be as much innovation.
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What you describe is the ideal world.. however, patents are abused these days.

Patents are used to squash competition, and in many occasions, they have done. Company A sues Company B to bankrupcy over patent dispute. Company B held the patent...
 
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Stella said:
While I don't care who sues who - in the end the laywers win.. and yes, Samsung UI is very similar to iPhone..

However, the iPhone GUI isn't new at all.

Take a look at this screen shot of the SE P910 UI, released well before iPhone.

handy_tools_2005_for_sony_ericsson-73554-thumb.gif


Conceptually, the UI is very similar - in that that you have:

(1) application icons
(2) Application short cuts ( at the top )
(3) Power , strength and other status indicators etc ( at the bottom )

I'm sure there are many other examples of conceptual similar iPhone UIs that contain the same properties and behaviour and layout out ina similar fashion.
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NO It's not, are you crazy. That looks horrid. iOS icons have unique look to them, placement is not patented. The look is.

The lawsuit goes after Samsung trying to replicate and confuse customers into thinking that it's an iPhone.
 
ivladster said:
NO It's not, are you crazy. That looks horrid. iOS icons have unique look to them, placement is not patented. The look is.

The lawsuit goes after Samsung trying to replicate and confuse customers into thinking that it's an iPhone.
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The "look" of icons clearly can not be patented.
 
ivladster said:
NO It's not, are you crazy. That looks horrid. iOS icons have unique look to them, placement is not patented. The look is.

The lawsuit goes after Samsung trying to replicate and confuse customers into thinking that it's an iPhone.
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I said *conceptually* they are the same, they both share the same common properties and looks - i.e., grid, shortcuts, status bar etc ( as I pointed out ), yes, the placement it different - but that is irrelevent?

It doesn't matter if it looks 'horrid', thats an opinion - by today's standards OS9 looks 'horrid' - IMO.
 
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From the Constitution of the United States

Article 1 - The Legislative Branch
Section 8 - Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power

... To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
 
That is what they get...Samsung is going down! Apple already has other secret suppliers on tap.

Samsung you had it good...good no more...
 
I hope what comes out of this is Samsung is forced to use standard android interface(which is alright), which would lead to faster software updates on a phone with pretty competitive hardware.

Isn't Samsung making the cpus to iphone and ipad? If this turns sour could this mean, maybe Apple will go with upcoming Tegra 3 cpu(which has rumors of a quad core version), or TI with their nice hardware?
 
notjustjay said:
Looking at the TouchWiz UI, I see your point.

But, at what point does an interface become too generic? For example, the concept of pages of icons in a grid isn't really new or innovative. The concept of swiping across screens is simple and intuitive and should be standardized
(e.g. copied) for that exact reason. Should other phone makers put the icons in a circle, "just because" they need to be different? Should they force you to do something differently just because the best and most intuitive way was "already taken"?

Everyone loves car analogies, so: what if Ford decided to sue other carmakers because they copied their steering wheel design? Would other companies have been forced to adopt other types of controls -- joysticks or dials or foot pedals, perhaps -- "just because"? And would that have been good for the auto industry?
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The car industry isn't a good one to look at actually. A new top end S Class merc has hundreds of new patents with every modem revamp it does. Car companies constantly pay royalties to each other to use tech. Especially safety tech.
 
lilo777 said:
You are crazy. If anything, this might indicate that iPhone 5 will be delayed for a year or two. Apple will have to build it's own factories for LCD panels, RAM and flash memory chips.
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If they keep using Samsung...


I'm suggesting they may not be.
 
Piggie said:
Can only be 1 reason, Apple are worried.

If they felt totally confident in their product then they would not feel any threat from others and need to try something like this on.
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or they felt their patents and copyrights were being infringed on. but since it's apple, like always, you like to twist the matter...

Full of Win said:
If Apple cannot beat them....they sue them. Way to go Apple, you are devoid of morals and innovation.

When can we officially say that Apple is now the New Microsoft?
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lol see above. your posts are funny cos you just sound like a deluded nutter... keep them coming, you're so wrong but funny to read :)

look at the comparison pics, the samsung phone looks just like a cheap knockoff of the iPhone. people sue people for ripping off their things, thats life. What makes me laugh is the people that are adamant the phone does not look like the iPhone needs their eyes testing! even my mum thought the samsung phone was an iphone at first.
 
Ca1icoJack said:
Apple *have* patented the look of icons: http://www.edibleapple.com/apple-granted-eu-patents-on-24-ios-icon-designs/ and Samsung clearly infringes on them.

(I'm not sure if a similar, US patent exists.)
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I doubt that "looks" can be patented in US. Anyways, according to this article: "The patent application was originally filed in September 2010 and also encapsulates designs pertaining to the reflective nature of icons in the iPad dock (wherein the reflection also describes the function of said icon/app).". There is nothing reflective about Samsung icons.
 
AZREOSpecialist said:
Apple does not license elements of its OS to others, unlike Microsoft. There is no reason for one netbook maker to sue another when they both license their OS from Microsoft. The only IP among netbook makers is any proprietary software and hardware design. The two issues are completely different. Apple actually owns the patents to those things they are suing over.
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Then they should sue google for making android so similar to iOS, not Samsung. And im not sure if the "look" of icons on a screen can be patented anyway.
 
ChazUK said:
How many other ways are there to design a simple tablet/touch screen phone before they start looking the same?
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Oh come on, we aren't really going to resort to the "there's only one way to design a mobile device" argument, are we? You're telling me the only way to design the Galaxy Tab was to make it look identical to the iPhone 3GS?

My iPhone 4 doesn't look anything like my wife's iPhone 3GS, so apparently there are at least two ways to design a mobile phone.

None of the other Android phones or tablets I've seen look like iPhones either. Only Samsung's.
 
touchwiz I can understand. should've stuck with simple vanilla android.

as for hardware, how else are you supposed to maximize screen space on a rectangle tablet or phone. it's way too simplistic and although they look similar, apple shouldn't really have a case there.

lame

edit: maybe apple feels threatened by the upcoming galaxy s2. looks sexy
galaxy2_seine.jpg



apple makes great products and they will always sell well. they shouldn't worry
 
So, are we talking about these patents?

Inventors: Zadesky; Stephen Paul; (Portola Valley, CA) ; Lynch; Stephen Brian; (Alamo, CA)
Correspondence Address:
BEYER WEAVER & THOMAS, LLP
P.O. BOX 70250
OAKLAND
CA
94612-0250
US
Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.

Serial No.: 501184
Series Code: 11
Filed: August 7, 2006

Excerpt: "[0092] In order to provide visible access to the display 190, the seamless enclosure 154 includes an access opening 192 having a shape that coincides with the shape of the viewing area of the LCD 190. The access opening 192 may be formed by processes such as machining, drilling, cutting, punching and/or the like. In most cases, a clear window 194 (typically formed from plastic) is positioned in the access opening 192 in front of the LCD 190 in order to protect the LCD 190 from damage. In fact, when assembled, the window 194 may be considered a portion of the housing 152. The window 194 may be attached to the seamless enclosure 154 using a variety of techniques including but not limited to fasteners, snaps, adhesives, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the window 194 includes a raised section 196 that sits in the opening 192 and that is either substantially flush or recessed with the outer surface of the seamless enclosure 154 so that it does not protrude above the outer surface and a flange section 198 having an adhesive layer that secures the window 194 to the inner surface of the seamless enclosure 154. By having the window flush or recessed, scratching of the window is substantially avoided. "

What kind of BS is that? Perhaps it might qualify for a school project but a patent?
 
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I have an iPad2 and an Epic 4g (Galaxy S)... one does not feel like the other at all to me.

Sure, they both have icons and a dock.. so do all the android phones.

That picture of the dock with the icons on the Galaxy S is ONLY when you go to the applicaitons (hitting the applications button on the dock).. otherwise the screen would have the dock plus whatever icons and widgets the user wants. Such as I have a clock, the weather, calendar widgets on my home screens... looks nothing like the iPad/iPhone.

I don't even feel like the icons look the same. I like the apple icons better, but feel they both are distinct in their own ways.

Perhaps the swiping right and left on the applications view is what might be too similar, but I would never mistake this for an iphone.. nobody that's seen mine has.
 
rjohnstone said:
There was at least one phone that "looked" like an iPhone before anyone new what the iPhone looked like.
Does the Prada ring a bell? Probably not to most of you, but it was first to market with that basic "look".
As for the UI, old WinMo phones had grids of icons on the desktop, so again, not a unique "look".
Next one will be arguing about the spacing or the number of icons per row. Nit picking I say.

The iPad is not "innovative" in it's looks or design either. It's minimalism at it's best. So simplistic that it will be tough to defend in court. It is a logical basic design for a tablet.
As for how it functions, it's technically the iPhone with a larger screen. So the argument of functionality fails as many devices functioned similarly prior to the release of the iPad. Screen size is irrelevant.

Now I do believe with the icons Samsung chose to use combined with the layout, one could logically argue that Samsung was copying the overall UI from iOS. I believe that is where Apple's case is with the phones.
Easy for Samsung to remedy. Ditch the TouchWiz UI... it sucks anyway.

Still failing to see the argument on the Galaxy tabs though... Honeycomb looks nothing like iOS ad Samsung hasn't uglied them up with the old TouchWiz UI overlay.
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First off the Prada was officially announced by LG on January 18, 2007. The iPhone was announced by Apple on january 9, 2007. The last time that I checked, January 9th came before January 18th. THAT makes the iPhone first, sorry.

Secondly the All of the other copy cats look a ton more like the iPhone than the iPhone looks like the Prada or anything else for that matter.

As far as whether the iPhone and iPad are innovative, I respectfully disagree with you.
 
LagunaSol said:
Oh come on, we aren't really going to resort to the "there's only one way to design a mobile device" argument, are we? You're telling me the only way to design the Galaxy Tab was to make it look identical to the iPhone 3GS?

My iPhone 4 doesn't look anything like my wife's iPhone 3GS, so apparently there are at least two ways to design a mobile phone.

None of the other Android phones or tablets I've seen look like iPhones either. Only Samsung's.
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+1 for great common sense that some people are lacking on here so far...
 
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