German court to rule 7 Samsung devices unlawfully copy Apple’s
Samsung just can’t catch a break, well, at least not in Germany. According to FOSSPatents who got word from an independent and reliable source, a German court — the same ones who banned the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 almost 2 years go to-the-day — is planning to rule in favor of Apple, over the allegations that 7 Samsung devices unlawfully imitate Apple’s iPhone and iPod.
Different from your typical design patent dispute, Apple is alleging that these devices (the Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S Plus, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Ace, Samsung Galaxy R, Samsung Galaxy Wave M, and Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.0) exploit Apple’s reputation by confusing consumes, creating “competitive harm.” These are just a few articles covered by Germany’s unfair competition laws.
We’ll have to wait to see how this pans out but it goes to show you that Apple isn’t about to run out of money (or lawyers) anytime soon to stop litigation like this. This almost seems personal. As you no doubt noticed, many of these devices are no longer even for sale, but for Apple, that might not be the point. This would be more of a psychological win for Apple, who would only benefit from the public perception that Samsung is a copycat.