The sniping between Apple and Samsung over whether the latter’s tablet infringes on the former’s patents is getting worse. Samsung came off as somewhat bitter after the initial U.S. verdict when they ran ads poking fun at the Apple Genius Bar. Apple has just escalated this feud to an entirely new level, however. See, the U.K. courts didn’t agree with Apple, and actually found that the Samsung Galaxy Tab didn’t infringe on their patents. Part of the ruling required Apple to issue an acknowledgement on their website, and they have. It’s probably not what the courts had in mind, though.
Essentially, the notice that the courts required from Apple is meant to inform customers on the U.K. version of the U.S. company’s website that Samsung actually didn’t infringe on their patents. This stems from the fact that the courts basically thought Apple had tarnished Samsung’s reputation by dragging their name through the mud with a messy patent lawsuit. These have often been referred to as “apology” ads, but the actual wording of Apple’s notice is anything but apologetic.
It actually starts off fairly tame, referencing the ruling made by the U.K. courts. That’s about all that can be categorized as such. The rest of the notice is as much of an attack on Samsung as Apple can wage while still remaining strictly within the boundaries of the ruling they were handed. They quote the judge from the trial with saying the simplicity and coolness of Apple’s design, when compared to Samsung’s, means that no patents were infringed.
It’s the final paragraph that makes it clear what Apple’s actually intending to get across with this notice:
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.
Tell us how you really feel, Apple.
- Apple’s newest iMac is damn impressive
- While the iPad Mini is somewhat of a disappointment
- Zynga laid off a ton of people during Apple’s recent event
