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Apple is suing Samsung for another $2 billion, and Google’s been asked to help with this one

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Samsung-vs-Apple

It’s 2014, and times haven’t changed much at all. Bacon is still delicious, I’m still a few pounds too heavy, and Apple still hates Samsung. That last one is ringing true more than ever, as the Cupertino company has pulled Samsung into another high-profile patent dispute lawsuit seeking damages in the “billions” range.

Apple is claiming that Samsung has infringed on five different patents as it relates to software, and are looking to get awarded $2 billion for the supposed infringement. Additionally Apple is seeking about $40 per Samsung device sold in royalties. Apple claims Samsung infringed on slide to unlock, as well as the “tap from search” feature that allows users to, say, initiate a call by tapping on a result after typing in a partial phone number or contact name in the search box.

Patent WarsThe numbers are downright outrageous, and history tells us the chances of Apple actually seeing that much in the event of a win are slim to none. But Samsung won’t be taking it lying down no matter what amount, as the company has already fired back with a countersuit of their own, claiming Apple infringes on patents relating to the way media is stored on a device, as well as the way data is sent and received over low-bandwidth networks.

“Apple revolutionized the market in personal computing devices,” said Apple. “Samsung, in contrast, has systematically copied Apple’s innovative technology and products, features and designs, and has deluged markets with infringing devices.”

On the contrary, Samsung fired back by saying they’ve “been a pioneer in the mobile device business sector since the inception of the mobile device industry,” and went on to suggest Apple has copied many of their innovations in the iPhone, iPad and iPod family.

That Apple is focusing on software in this barrage of attacks is key, as it has reportedly prompted Samsung to seek the help of Google. Such a strong lawsuit could be seen as a means of indirectly attacking Android, with Apple using Samsung as the catalyst for their assault. Samsung is by far the biggest company there is in the Android smartphone race, after all, and this could have implications for all Android OEMs in the long run.

gavel-with-money-blog-4-13-2009BBC claims Samsung will call on the likes of Andy Rubin — the man responsible for Android’s existence — to testify as a witness in court, with many believing Rubin will suggest many of these patented features were in the works before Apple secured them.

This isn’t the only thing going on in Samsung’s legal world as it pertains to Apple, either. If you don’t remember, Judge Lucy Koh awarded Apple a $900 million claim in the original hardware-focused patent spat that went underway two years ago. Samsung is currently appealing that ruling, and it will take quite a bit of time for the case to produce a solid end result.

You know we’ll be keeping tabs on this case as the months (and possibly years) move on, so count on us to bring you everything you need to know about what’s sure to become one of the most important trials in the history of mobile.

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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71 Comments

  1. Slide to unlock patent is such BS. Apple wasn’t even the first to use it, so it was already prior use when they patented it.

    1. “It’s not about what you can prove, it’s what you can get away with”

      1. Until you go to court parading your gotten away with nonsense and it leads to patent reform that takes half your patents away.

      2. Sad but true that is…..

  2. Suddenly Judge Koh’s bank account grew another six figures. I hope Samsung’s legal team will be somewhat competent this time around.

  3. I wish the judge(s) handling the case can just throw it out since the patents Apple get are destructive to a competitive market since they have obscure encompassing patents. Apple is just pathetic with these law suits too.

    1. Koh is a known apple supporter. I’m surprised she wasn’t removed from the cases before.

  4. apple needs to be slapped down like the deluded rapid dog they are. Nothing apple is claiming is truly theirs they just copied it from somewhere else. Google and all Android OEMs should get together and sue apple for everything (and the list is long) they copied from android. They could effectively get every ios devices banned and take mostvof apples cash reserves. Google stop taking the moral high ground and teach bully a lesson.

    1. Amen to that. Stop the insufferable nonsense and get back to business.

  5. Let me see if I have this straight. Apple is suing Samsung for more patent infringements? They want to drag Google in on this to help them? Then how come my Samsung device blows Apple out of the water in terms of my needs? Samsung isn’t infringing. They are simply making a better product for slightly less money. Oh, about Google being dragged in on this? I can’t imagine Google falling for this one.

  6. Issuing a patent for slide to unlock is unbelievable. However, Google was smart enough to dodge those stupid design patents in it’s product. Samsung should be smarter about this..

    1. What do you mean? You slide to unlock any phone. Unless you want to call them swipes. I mean a swipe would be swiping on the phone without interacting with a specific image.

      Sliding would mean sliding something across the screen to unlock the phone. Like in iOS you slide the image. If you could swipe it, you wouldn’t have to go all the way across the screen.

      That’s my legal guess. LoL!!

      1. I believe Apple’s slide to unlock patent has to do with sliding across a designated path. That’s why Google changed it to the swipe from the middle to anywhere functionality.

        1. With Samsung phones, you swipe anywhere on the screen to unlock it.

          1. Which is better.

          2. True, you not only swipe anywhere on the screen, but in any direction. Apple is just going after Samsung because Samsung is the only that to Apple. They(Samsung) is the only company turning profits bigger than theirs. The galaxy devices are by far the best selling android phones and even have sales figures the compete with the iPhones. In the end though, I think this is just a publicity stunt as they make the news headlines around the world. Free advertising is what they look at.

      2. No. Just no.

    2. smarter how? Just because USPTO gives out patents to Apple like they are candy doesn’t mean they’ll stand up in court. Apple applied for UI/UX patents left and right when they became the most popular OEM. They found you can patent anything with enough money.

  7. Apple is such an aggressive company that it makes for a good show. Tim Cook must be taking notes from Ballmer by throwing a few chairs around. Samsung wants to deviate away from Google but yet now they really need them. Funny.

    1. Balmer? no, he took notes from Steve JObs, derp. Remember him? The guy that wanted to destroy any competition (Google, Samsung, HTC, Microsoft, Sony, IBM, etc)

  8. What’s the user-visible fallout on android from all this patent-foo again? IIRC, because of apple, bounce-back at the end of scrolling is gone, and, being able to simply tap on *any* phone number you see (in a web page, without tel tags) to call it, is gone.

  9. Google, please do us a favor and rid Apple from Earth.

    1. I believe you mean “rid the Earth of Apple.”

  10. My school blocked your link because it stated it had Malware. And your comment is the same as the one dude, below.

    Please leave.

  11. this is why i’ll never buy an apple product and why i’m done with samsung.

    go ahead and kill each other..i’m outa here.

    1. qq

  12. *sigh* apple…..

  13. Get your crap spam links out of here.

  14. I wish Apple spent more time innovating instead of suing.

    1. Apple? Innovate? What is this, 2009?

      1. They just release devices with the right combination of existing looks and functionality combined with ease of use at the right time (BASED ON designs and functions that existed before). Any fool can put together a bunch of great ideas some other people had and sell it as his/her own but truly creating something yourself is a different matter entirely.

    2. They can’t innovate anymore except to sue other.

  15. Wow apple

  16. Because Apple no longer has the “must have” device, now they sue. Pathetic..

    1. they sued when it was the must have device, thanks to Steve Karma Killed You Jobs. I’m actually surprised Timmy is allowing this new lawsuit to happen. Supposedly he was the new gentler face of apple. I guess even he is on a short lease when it comes to the lawyers.

    2. “Worldstar! Worldstar! Worldstar!”

  17. I rocks with other OEMs, so sammy getting sued doesn’t bother me one bit, Apple can kiss ma but too

    1. really a non-response.

      1. So why open yo mouth to me

        1. Because people are curious why you bothered to open yours.

          1. Because I felt like B*T*H. Don’t come at me

          2. I’ll come on your mother’s face

          3. Don’t come at me. What are you? 15 or just an insane posturing troll who likes to think he’s cool for talking ghetto?

          4. Dude you probably a virgin, lol, this is your life dude, your best friend is probably someone online lol, you lame bruh

    2. First they came for Samsung. You did nothing because you use other OEMs. Next they will come for you.

      1. And what the heck am I supposed to do, I ain’t no lawyer and I don’t work for neither company, so I can’t do crap about who sues who, I wait a year and choose the best OEM at that time except Samsung because they don’t interest me with there cheap built products, soooooo….. Exactly how are you helping

        1. You said that it doesn’t bother you a bit that sammy gets sued. Just pointing out that Apple will not stop with Samsung. If they win, they will not quit until every phone has fruit on the back. I’m sure we can agree that we don’t want that.

        2. First off, your comments are terrible. The lawyer bit etc made me question whether you have the cognitive capacity to even open an unlocked door. Secondly, I meant you should spare the rest of the totality of existence the torture of your words and action by removing yourself from it.

          1. I see someone went into the dictionary, dude you sound stupid, the lawyer comment is saying I can’t represent and defend samsung in the good fight against apple, I nor you have a voice that will change the outcome of what happens, so shut up

    3. They’re going after Android. They are just too scared to go directly through Google. They have sued Moto, HTC, and Samsung thus far. They won’t stop there.

      1. I’m sure HTC and Apple struck a deal did they not, I don’t see apple sueing htc for a while, plus I see them catching hell and won’t ever be successful in bringing down Google

        1. HTC cant afford a billion dollar loss over a green phone icon or another import ban over a line of code, so apparently they thought it was in their best interest to give in to apples demands and play nice.

          1. Well that was a minor sacrifice they made, HTC still can move about how they want, HTC suffered worst from nokia I think when they actually had to start using different Mic in there phones which I think sucked, HTC got sued for a piece of hardware

    4. Would you killz self?

      1. Well due to the fact that I don’t know what your illiterate A** is trying to ask me. B*TCH hang yaself

    5. Well you should be bothered because Apple won’t stop with Samsung if they win this.

  18. This is absolutely fucked in the head ridiculous. There are no other words for it.

  19. Why is it, when ever Samsung has a patent, it’s considered the Standard, and thus, they must share the patent; Apple patents things like rounded corners and these “niche” enough not to be standards.. and yet Apple is the one they call “Revolutionary”. It’s such a joke.

    1. Agreed. Not part of the Apple fan clubs. Apple always tries to patent design tech, then software tech. Samsung could care less about design as long as it functions really well.

  20. i just hate apple and all that they are or stand for.period.

  21. I’m always weary of a thief yelling out ” I’ve been robbed”. PARK Research did unprecedented work on their GUI before Apple knew what a GUI was…that didn’t stop them from using it, then suing Microsoft when they created Windows. Apple lost. Apple is greedy and undeservingly self-important.

  22. When Samsung revealed the GS5 , I did say watch for Apple. Here I am right.

  23. Apple again? Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31A1WbkeD2I

    1. Awesome. Except Apple is the walking dickbag of the mobile device world. Samsung should just say they don’t have time and money to waste. Get the Yakuza to come over from Japan and rough up some of the dickweeds over at the rotten fruit company.

  24. Buncha prissy nerds that aren’t even tech enthusiasts, just hipster desigers that try to destroy innovation when losing ground. Go indie-hip-design something else!

    1. Even though hipsters seem to like the iPhone and iPad they’re far from the ultimately guilty party (Apple itself). Some of them probably do sometimes make it sound like iPhone was God’s gift to the planet, though.

  25. Not surprising Apple is suing for patent infringement again. Their sales are dropping worldwide, not as many media outlets are clamoring for details on the next iPhone. Samsung, and Android as a whole is finally being recognized as having the superior product. Maybe not as pretty as an iPhone, but worlds better in terms of customization, and innovation. Samsung is right, they had touch screen “bright” phones before the world even heard of the iPhone. Jobs then, and Apple still now are simply upset that Android took something THEY copied, and panned off as their own creation, and did it better than Apple…..again ! Windows is still the #1 OS on the planet, why ? its better, easier to use, and does the job well. While iMacs and iBooks are pretty, and overpriced. Sound familiar ?

    1. I think Android is the superior OS over Apple, and Samsung is the superior product to apple. But to other OEMs personally I prefer 1.HTC 2. SONY 3.LG and then Samsung

  26. Next lawsuit: Apple sues Issac Newton for getting his head in the way between the apple and the ground thus drastically altering the space time continuum and causing Apple to take a less profitable course in history.

  27. Apple: I invented using your finger to touch the screen to make a
    selection…Samsung: I invented bringing your screen to your finger to
    make a selection…Apple: I invented talking on the phone to
    communicate…Samsung: I invented listening on the phone to be
    heard…GEEESH! I’m going to create a new business TODAY called AppSung
    and I’m going to sue myself for everything I think of! I guess I’ll see
    myself in court!!

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