Samsung Brings Patent Lawsuit Against Apple to U.S.

[maclaptop]

I own a Samsung Mythic, and I suffer lag input problems

Using Steve Jobs logic, you're using it wrong.

My Galaxy S is fast, fun, and one of my absolute favorites.

But then again, my iPhone 4 would be number one if it had a good phone. I'm hoping my belief in Apple is reinforced when the next iPhone is released.

My first choice is an iPhone as my primary smartphone.

Perhaps Apple will get this one right. 🙂

 

[Roofy.]

In the U.S. complaint, Samsung accuses Apple of violating patents that "relate to fundamental innovations that increase mobile device reliability, efficiency, and quality, and improve user interface in mobile handsets and other products.

LOL

Can that be any more VAGUE?! They might as well be suing for the fact that samsung made phones before apple.

Anyone who thinks Apple's reason to sue was bad should just look at that!

 

[Funkymonk]

let the soulless evil multi-billion dollar companies sue each other to the grave 😀

 

[Mike84]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

In the U.S. complaint, Samsung accuses Apple of violating patents that "relate to fundamental innovations that increase mobile device reliability, efficiency, and quality, and improve user interface in mobile handsets and other products.

LOL

Can that be any more VAGUE?! They might as well be suing for the fact that samsung made phones before apple.

Anyone who thinks Apple's reason to sue was bad should just look at that!

Do you realize the complaint goes into WAY more detail about how Apple has apparently infringed on their patents?

Do you realize you are quoting a summary in an article?

 

[MattInOz]

The concept for an Apple phone/computer from 1983.

Image

I want an iPad dock like that for the office.

 

[Stridder44]

3-5 years in the future, before either side's claims get to trial, FT, IBJ, and WSJ will be reporting on an out-of-court settlement with undisclosed terms.

This is exactly what will probably happen. Other than that, it's just a big dick-waving contest.

 

[Full of Win]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)

The concept for an Apple phone/computer from 1983.

Image

I want an iPad dock like that for the office.

Write a check big enough to The Silicon Bank and it can be yours.

 

[hglk]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

Among Samsung's patents that Apple allegedly infringed, there's this one:

U.S. Patent No. 6,292,179 on a "software keyboard system using trace of stylus on a touch screen and method for recognizing key code using the same"

Which Apple product uses a trace of stylus???

So doesn't the Nintendo DS infringe in this stylus patent as well??

 

[ToroidalZeus]

So Samsung believed Apple was violating it's patents all this time but decided to do nothing about it. Now that they have been pushed they decide to act. Sounds to me they are trying to find whatever they can to bite back at Apple.

NO. This is how it works in the world of corporate business.

Company A has a patent (or more) that Co. B wants. B uses A's patents without consent. A waits. A finds a patent B has that they want. A uses B's patents without consent. Then A sues B or vice-verse. The two co. get together and work out a licensing deal. Profit.

 

[zerofour]

Thanks goodness Apple aren't infringing Samsung's "GPS" system... I'd much prefer to use GPS quickly and accurately, without having to root a device... then run an app to correct things! 😀

 

[caspersoong]

This will end up with no result again.

 

[Lennholm]

So Samsung believed Apple was violating it's patents all this time but decided to do nothing about it. Now that they have been pushed they decide to act. Sounds to me they are trying to find whatever they can to bite back at Apple.

Well it could be that they thought they had a mutual understanding with Apple that they could borrow some technologies from each other but now that Apple choose to sue (Apple waited too you know, the Galaxy S wasn't exactly launched two weeks ago) Samsung is not gonna let it slide. I'm not commenting on the validity of the claim but I want to point out that people should remember that patents aren't only for the tangible things we consumers see, like the similarities between iOS and Touchwiz, but also the transparent to us consumers- under the hood technology, for which Samsung holds lots of patents.

 

[tinman0]

Yeah not going to hurt samgsung on bit.

Apple needs Samsung more than Samsung needs Apple.
Reason being is the parts Samsung is supply there is already a shortage of them on the market. Apple drops them all Samsung does is go to the next guy and more than likely for more money.

Apple on the other hand will struggle to find a new supplier.

Don't be daft, Samsung are the suppliers because they gave the best price.

Samsung will also be locked into supply contracts anyway, and they interfered with them, Samsung would be in a world of hurt, not just from Apple and litigation, but every other company they supply.

And don't you believe there aren't alternatives for Apples component supplies either - every company that can build something that Samsung already does has been on the phone this week to Apple.

The end result in all of this is that Samsung are putting at risk an $8bn turnover for copying a customers phone design.

Even if Samsung win any of these suits, Samsung will lose the $8bn turnover, and will hand their component rivals the same amount.

The question at the end of the day is whether the Galaxy/Tab/S/S2 are really worth $8bn a year - which they aren't.

So who loses? Samsung every time.

Heres the clue - never sue your customer.

 

[mw360]

One of the patents:

Mobile telephone capable of displaying world time and method for controlling the same

An apparatus and method for calculating and displaying local time for a plurality of cities in the world. The apparatus includes a memory for storing Greenwich mean time (GMT) information for each of the plurality of cities. The apparatus sets a reference time and counts the time that elapses from when the reference time is set. The apparatus calculates a local time of a city selected by a user, which is based on a difference between the GMT of the selected city and the GMT of a present location of the apparatus, the reference time and the counted elapsed time. The reference time may be either a time set by the user or a system time acquired from a signal generated from a remote system.​

How can companies get patents for such trivial algorithms???

Now I'm not a lawyer, but I do know that there's only one GMT. Cities don't get their own GMT. That's kinda the point of the G in GMT. If Samsung think that Apple is storing the "GMT of each city", and the "GMT of the location of the device" then they're in for some disappointment.

On the other hand if they've patented a method for botching your alarms every time the clocks go back/forward they may be onto something.

 

[Northgrove]

Patents like this are so annoying

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...7,069,055.PN.&OS=PN/7,069,055&RS=PN/7,069,055

So basically Samsung has patented: A clock with multiple time zones in a mobile phone.

How on Earth is a patent like that supposed to promote innovation?
(the original reason we got the patent system back some centuries ago)

Also, this one just makes me want to tear my hair out

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...7,009,626.PN.&OS=PN/7,009,626&RS=PN/7,009,626

Apple will surely manage this, but what about the independent developer with no huge pile of cash to throw at some lawyers? THAT is the problem here.. 🙁

 

[mw360]

Patents like this are so annoying

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...7,069,055.PN.&OS=PN/7,069,055&RS=PN/7,069,055

So basically Samsung has patented: A clock with multiple time zones in a mobile phone.

How on Earth is a patent like that supposed to promote innovation?
(the original reason we got the patent system back some centuries ago)

Also, this one just makes me want to tear my hair out

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...7,009,626.PN.&OS=PN/7,009,626&RS=PN/7,009,626

Apple will surely manage this, but what about the independent developer with no huge pile of cash to throw at some lawyers? THAT is the problem here.. 🙁

Are there any cases of giant companies suing indies for patent infringement? I realise it often happens the other way around, but I can't recall a case where some poor indie is muscled out of business via a patent. It just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[*LTD*]

Big deal.

Just get those damn iPad 2s out as fast you can, Apple!

 

[Kabeyun]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8H7)

Perfect. Decide to sue, THEN figure out why. It's the new tit for tat, only we pay for it.

 

[KnightWRX]

Every time there's a patent or copyright article and people go off the deep end calling these companies crazy/evil, etc, I wish the article would indicate the fact that they are actually required to do so or risk losing their patent/trademarks. Doesn't even matter if they want to or not.

Why would the article indicate that ? You do not risk losing patents by not suing over them. That's only applicable to trademarks.

 

[D4F]

Apple should really diversify their suppliers anyway, which is what they look like they are doing. Cut Samsung supply by 50%, and threaten all of it if they don't get their act together. Surely Samsung doesn't think that that they can bring in this kind of revenue on their own merit. Outside of LCD televisions, Samsung has an image problem, and even that has only improved in the last few years.

Check reviews on GSII Einstein. Eats the iPhone alive.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Yawn, yawn, yawn!

Did I mention YAWN?

Move on Apple and Samsung.

Nothing will come of it and you both know it.

End result:

Settle with no admission of guilt by either party.

Lots of lawyers bills (Does provide work for some people)

Back to business as usual.

PS: When will Samsung's white iphone come out?

 

[Winni]

... when we are willing to work for $10 a day.

That day is not far away.

 

[Lifequest]

Apple should really diversify their suppliers anyway, which is what they look like they are doing. Cut Samsung supply by 50%, and threaten all of it if they don't get their act together. Surely Samsung doesn't think that that they can bring in this kind of revenue on their own merit. Outside of LCD televisions, Samsung has an image problem, and even that has only improved in the last few years.

Only 4% of Samsung Revenue are believed to be from Apple.
While Samsung supplies at least half of Apple's iPad displays and a big portion of iPhone.

Why does everyone think Samsung needs Apple more? It looks the other way to me. Regardless, it's business, personal issues don't get in the way of big contracts. They'll still work with each other blah blah. Apple's just trying to get a better contract which will be part of the "out-of-court" settlement.

 

[ghostlyorb]

Looks like Apple is gonna win..

 

[0815]

I think in order to create new cutting edge products every company has to violate some patents of others (due to stupidity of the patent system they companies can patent almost everything). The origins of the patent system were a good idea to protect really new innovations but it got abused by too many companies and people who approve probably cant distinguish new original ideas from common sense ideas. That makes it hard for companies to enforce their original ideas since they can get counter suit with trivial patents (I'm not saying this is the case here - but that is the general problem).

Apple probably knew they are getting sued in return and took that into account by weighing the severity of violations (in their point of view). Probably it will end in out of court settlement - so I'm not sure what it is good for except making everyone aware that companies borrow ideas from each other ...

One of the patents:

Mobile telephone capable of displaying world time and method for controlling the same

An apparatus and method for calculating and displaying local time for a plurality of cities in the world. The apparatus includes a memory for storing Greenwich mean time (GMT) information for each of the plurality of cities. The apparatus sets a reference time and counts the time that elapses from when the reference time is set. The apparatus calculates a local time of a city selected by a user, which is based on a difference between the GMT of the selected city and the GMT of a present location of the apparatus, the reference time and the counted elapsed time. The reference time may be either a time set by the user or a system time acquired from a signal generated from a remote system.​

How can companies get patents for such trivial algorithms???

Does this mean we can blame Samsung for the alarm clock bug whenever the summer/winter time change happens?