Apple Targets Samsung With New Lawsuit Over 'Galaxy' Line

[NATO]

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.

That's the thing, stock Android isn't really anything like iOS, it's Samsung's proprietary UI which is added on top which makes it more iOS-like (in the same way that HTC has their own proprietary 'Sense UI' to differentiate their products from the competition)

 

[Amazing Iceman]

The Year of the Copycats, indeed

LOL, Everybody wants to be like Apple!
I wonder why....

 

[Raineer]

They have patents but they HAVE to pursue infringers or they can lose the rights to the patents. That's why you see so many patent lawsuits. Unfortunately, that's just how the system works (in very basic terms).

8 pages and no quotes of this. That's all there is to this, folks...

 

[ChazUK]

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.

The galaxy tab looks different to the phone 3gs from my experience with it.
It is lacking a chrome bezel & the sides are flattened, black matte plastic and lacks a physical "home" button.

They are similar but far from identical.

 

[ABernardoJr]

What's the difference? Number of icons?

lol I take it you DO think they look very similar. I see that they both use icons in a grid format. So tell me, what exactly are you suggesting would give LG the grounds for any kind of lawsuit? Or is it just the icons and grid (the rest of which has been done with phone interfaces before)?

And if you still think LG would theoretically have a case, refer to babbit's post:

The iPhone 1 was announced before the Prada phone. Patent dates showed iPhone implementation of a capacitive touchscreen phone at least a year before LG showed their Prada phone in 2006. The Prada shipped in small shipments before the iPhone, so that is their only claim that it was technically released before the iPhone even though real shipments occurred months later. Technically, if Apple wanted to, they could have sued LG.

Also, the Prada isn't a smartphone. It can't load apps. It doesn't even have a qwerty keyboard. You input text through the phone dialer like old school SMS.

 

[bloodycape]

A bit OT but didn't BlackBerry successfully sue(or at least come to a large monetary agreement) Palm for copying the look and feel of their keyboard? If so, Apple could get pretty far with is.

 

[Spoony]

Samsung even copied the iphone 4 design for their Television Remote Control.

hmm. metal or metalish looking band around sleek black. Samsung = KIRF

To be a fly on the wall in their design meetings. hmm... lets copy the iphone. people like that design.

http://myiphonenews.com/they-say-im...-flattery-so-samsung-must-loooove-the-iphone/


Also look and feel is the essence of these gadgets. These people aren't designing cars and rocketships. It's some simple glass and metal. The look and feel is all they got and it's those subtle differences that matter.

How it feels in your hand, the suble curves, how your hand interacts with the glass. Sounds dumb but i'm sure massive testing and trial and error goes into this. Well at least i'm sure it does at apple and then samsung copies it.

 

[inkswamp]

Pretty textbook case of biting the hand that feeds you here, even if Samsung business units are separated.

Exactly! Samsung shouldn't be so quick to rip-off one of their biggest customers.

Or... not what you meant?

 

[ChazUK]

+1 for great common sense that some people aer lacking on here so far...

Do you really think the Galaxy tab and iPhone 3g/3gs aer<sic> "identical"?

 

[DotComName]

Apple in the right this time....

The Samsung UI skin for their Android smartphones copies iOS's UI design to the T! I don't think the tablet claim holds as much water, but they surely deserve to win on the grounds for the smartphone.. Samsung STRAIGHT UP copied there.

 

[gorgeousninja]

not surprised..

I remember first seeing the GalaxyS and it's such a blatant rip-off of Apple's design they have every right to sue on this..

But now watch as the Apple haters try to weasel this as a 'generic' design..

Apple brings out the 'App Store'.. everyone copies them....It's generic

Apple brings out the iPhone... everyone copies them.. It's generic

Imitation is a form of flattery.. but when you're business depends on having the best designs, you need to protect your edge.

 

[radiohead14]

Also consider these designs:

that bar of soap sure looks a lot like the Mighty Mouse.. get on it Apple!

 

[aohus]

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.

WRONG.

The LG Prada was announced in September 2006, 6 months ahead of iPhone1 announcement.

Woo-Young Kwak, head of LG Mobile Handset R&D Center, said at a press conference, “We consider that Apple copied the Prada phone after the design was unveiled when it was presented in the iF Design Award and won the prize in September 2006.

Check your sources before trying to 'correct' someone. You just got outcorrected buddy.

Seeing how ridiculous this lawsuit is, I think LG should sue all smartphone makers that have a capacitive touch display on their phones. LG was the first to do it with the LG Prada. I think they have a case /sarcasm.

 

[(L)]

Or what? You'll release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you?

Oh no not the bees! NOT THE BEES! Aaaaaaaagh

 

[dba7dba]

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.

WRONG.

From wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Prada_(KE850)


LG Electronics has claimed the iPhone's design was copied from the LG Prada. Woo-Young Kwak, head of LG Mobile Handset R&D Center, said at a press conference, “We consider that Apple copied the Prada phone after the design was unveiled when it was presented in the iF Design Award and won the prize in September 2006.”[9][10]
LG later claimed that Apple stole both the ideas and concept of the Prada phone. A lawsuit by LG had been rumored prior to this announcement; [9] however, LG has remained silent on whether or not they will file a lawsuit.

 

[iliketyla]

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.

The LG KE850, also known as the LG Prada,[1] is a touchscreen mobile phone made by LG Electronics. It was first announced on December 12, 2006. -
Wikipedia

 

[lilo777]

lol I take it you DO think they look very similar. I see that they both use icons in a grid format. So tell me, what exactly are you suggesting would give LG the grounds for any kind of lawsuit? Or is it just the icons and grid (the rest of which has been done with phone interfaces before)?

And if you still think LG would theoretically have a case, refer to babbit's post:

I am not suggesting that LG has any merits for such lawsuit at all. I am suggesting the opposite - that Apple does not have any merits either.

 

[bloodycape]

Apple brings out the 'App Store'.. everyone copies them....It's generic.

except the appstore is/was nothing new. They just took what handango website was doing and made it into a convenient app instead of going to a website.

 

[Spoony]

I remember first seeing the GalaxyS and it's such a blatant rip-off of Apple's design they have every right to sue on this..

But now watch as the Apple haters try to weasel this as a 'generic' design..

Apple brings out the 'App Store'.. everyone copies them....It's generic

Apple brings out the iPhone... everyone copies them.. It's generic

Imitation is a form of flattery.. but when you're business depends on having the best designs, you need to protect your edge.

I agree. I think the people posting on blogs like engadget or maybe even here are too young to appreciate the phones we had to use pre 2006/2007. It's as if their first phone was an iphone/android and oh of course why wouldn't a phone behave like this. It's so obvious.

No it's not. It's not that obvious. Phones sucked so bad before the iphone. Smart phones sucked even worse. Treo's, Q's omg. horrible pieces of equipment.

Apple has every right to sue over this. I'm surprised it took them this long.

 

[rjohnstone]

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.)

You can't patent the "look" of an icon in the U.S.
You copyright it.
And I'd seriously doubt many of them would survive a court challenge.

 

[LagunaSol]

WRONG.

The LG Prada was announced in September 2006, 6 months ahead of iPhone1 announcement.

Odd, the link you included in your argument states the Prada was "announced" on December 12, 2006.

The iPhone was announced on January 9, 2007, less than one month later.

And the Prada looks more like a BlackBerry than an iPhone to me. The Prada and iPhone are almost nothing alike, aside from the size and shape of the earhole.

 

[JackAxe]

How dare Samsung use a black rectangle with rounded corners! * sarcasm*

 

[Savor]

LOL

Suing your own partner and supplier. What next Apple, are going to sue Sony or Omnivision? Sue Foxcomm because iDevices are made in China.

All Apple has is their interface. Without the hardware components, there would be no iPhone or iPad. It would be like Nintendo suing Sharp even though the 3DS screen is supplied by them.

I hope Apple learns to manufacture everything themselves. Google should stop supporting them. Same with Samsung. I want Apple to do it all alone. I want every developer and hardware to turn their back on Apple. Expect more delays with the iPhone 5.

Incredibly petty. Why ruin relationships with your partners when you are still on the gravy train?

 

[fishmoose]

Samsung has been copying Apple for years, serves them right they got served. With that said Apple probably won't win the lawsuit.

 

[shandyman]

Do you really think the Galaxy tab and iPhone 3g/3gs aer<sic> "identical"?

The galaxy tab looks like a cheap knockoff of the 3G, look at the pics comparing them in the article. As I stated, at first look my mum thought the samsung was an iPhone. To the general public they look extremely similar, thus why this is happening.