The ongoing Samsung vs. Apple legal battle is not looking to come to an end any time soon as both tech giants muddle around in the courtroom. After Apple’s unveiling of more than 29 iPhone prototypes and 7 iPad prototypes earlier in the week, Samsung has released data that shows they might have had an iPhone type smartphone in the works before the iPhone was released.
Judge Lucy Koh, who is handling the Samsung vs. Apple case, dismissed the information, stating that it had been excluded from the case due to its being brought so late into the trial. Koh has also forbidden jury members to read up on the trial, and blocked the original 9 page press release sent out by Samsung. She worries that the additional information could interfere with Jury neutrality, and therefore effect the case.
Whether Koh is worried that the information could be fabricated, or simply believes that it is irrelevant to the case is as of yet, unclear.
Samsung vs. Apple Legal Battle
The Samsung vs. Apple legal battle began after Samsung released their new Galaxy tablet. Apple took Samsung to court, suing for infringement on approximately 7 patents. They are suing for 2.5 billion in damages, or roughly what Apple’s Phillip Schiller estimates was lost by the patent infringement.
He can be quoted as saying “I was pretty shocked at the appearance of the Galaxy S phone and the extent it appeared to copy Apple products.” And went on to say about the new Galaxy s3, “I thought they’ve done it again, they’re just going to copy our whole product line.”
While Schiller may have been shocked, Samsung is less than upset about it. Representatives brushed the allegations off with the allegation that it is ‘normal’ for large companies to copy popular designs, and that Apple’s patent shows little more than a rectangle, which can hardly be patented.
Will The Legal Battle Ever End?
The Samsung vs. Apple trial has been drawn out to the point that Judge Koh actually limited the time allowed for each tech giant to present their case. While both companies still have some of their allotted time left, both are running out. Perhaps, that is the reasoning behind Samsung’s release of the material that had been deemed irrelevant.
However; with one of the Apple iPhone prototypes revealed to be what Apple thought a Sony iPhone would look like, Samsung’s case to the jury may be coming a little clearer.
Apple attempted to penalize Samsung for the decision to show the information; however, Judge Koh said that she would not tolerate more delays or ‘cries for attention’ from either sides of the case. She did however state that action might be taken against Samsung after the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle, and that she would investigate the information provided by Samsung should more information come to light.
The websites and press release originally distributed by Samsung have since been disabled. Samsung claims that the information would irrevocably prove that they had not, in any way, stolen Apple patents. However; Apple claims that the press release was an effort to ‘taint’ the Jury.
Judge Koh forbid the Jury members to read any of the news based on the incident, and then conducted a questionnaire to ensure that the Jury members knew nothing of the released material.
At this point it is unclear who, if anyone; will win the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle.
However; the Samsung vs. Apple legal battle hasn’t prevented both companies from releasing new software. Samsung has released a Music Hub for the contested Galaxy s3, while Apple has signed on to allow Hulu and Amazon video streaming on their devices.
What do you think? Did Samsung infringe on Apple patents in an attempt to undermine their customer base, or did they honestly already have the software? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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