We were a little bit shocked when Apple sued Samsung over the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab lineup because Samsung is a key component provider for the iOS company but you can be sure that Samsung isn’t going to take the lawsuit lying down. Samsung said it will “respond actively” to the legal actions.
“Apple is one of our key buyers of semiconductors and display panels. However, we have no choice but respond strongly this time,” an unidentified official said, according to Yahoo News.
Apple was very clear in its belief that Samsung was ripping it off when it filed the lawsuit:
“Instead of pursuing independent product development, Samsung has chosen to slavishly copy Apple’s innovative technology, distinctive user interfaces, and elegant and distinctive product and packaging design, in violation of Apple’s valuable intellectual property rights,” Apple said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time that Apple is trying to slam the legal hammer on an Android-heavy company, as it has also sued HTC over its devices with Google’s mobile platform.
Samsung has a ton of experience in the mobile business and I’m sure it has a wealth of patents to bring back at Apple if it chooses to. This may also lead to some stricter negotiations when it comes to components, too.
As smartphones become a major force in computing, we’re seeing mobile patent lawsuits explode. Every major company is either suing another company or being sued over some patent violations. In general, these cases just lead to a licensing agreement after years and years in court.
The Apple, Samsung lawsuit will likely lead to a counter-suit and we’ll be debating the merits of these for years to come while lawyers get rich. I would much rather compare the Samsung Galaxy S2 merits against the upcoming iPhone 5.
[Via Yahoo News]