You’ll no doubt recall the UK court case back in July that led to a UK judge ruling that the Samsung Galaxy Tab does not infringe the iPad design. Well that defeat for Apple got worse when the judge decided the company should print a public announcement on its UK website acknowledging that the Galaxy Tab did not copy the iPad. The idea is to reverse the damage Apple did to Samsung’s reputation with repeated claims about copying.
Well, the notice has gone live on Apple’s website. There’s a link from the home page to this completely unbranded page which contains the UK judgment. Apple has taken it as an opportunity to pluck choice quotes from the ruling including the memorable “They are not as cool” remark which formed part of the reason that the judge decided the Galaxy Tab did not infringe on the iPad.
Of course, this clearly sticks in the craw for Apple, and so the tech giant has also decided to point out that other courts around the world agree with them that Samsung is copying Apple devices. The short statement finishes with this:
“However, in a case tried in Germany regarding the same patent, the court found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design. A U.S. jury also found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple’s design and utility patents, awarding over one billion U.S. dollars in damages to Apple Inc. So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple’s far more popular iPad.”
It was originally supposed to run for six months, but Apple appealed and got that reduced to just one month. It’s no surprise Apple is unhappy about this, but the statement they have published makes a mockery of the judge’s decision. If the point is to redress the damage Apple has done to Samsung’s reputation then repeating claims about copying is surely going to achieve the exact opposite.
Apple also has to take out print advertisements in various UK newspapers and magazines to acknowledge that Samsung did not infringe on the iPad design, but we can expect the company to take a similar approach with those. We’ll keep you posted.
Leave A Comment