Apples sues Samsung over copied design

The folks at Cupertino filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co., claiming Sammy copied the design and user interface of their iPad and iPhone for the Galaxy line smartphones and tablets.

samsung galaxy s and iphone 3g

From Apple:

“Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products.”

The main point of comparison is the Galaxy S against the iPhone 3GS which not only has similarities with the design and packaging but also with the application icons such as music, phone, SMS, and contacts.

“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” an Apple representative told Mobilized. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

What’s interesting to note here is that Samsung is a major supplier of components like displays and processors for a number of Apple products.

With this going on, I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to bring in the MacBook Air against the Samsung Series 9 notebook to the mix. What do you think? Is Apple doing this to slow down Samsung or is there really some infringing going on?

[WSJ]

17 Comments

phets says:
April 19, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Although it’s obvious that Samsung did copy Apple’s design.. Why did it take so long for Apple to sue Samsung, when Galaxy S has been long released and is about to release its second gen?

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- Messie says:
  April 19, 2011 at 3:24 pm
  
  It was quite a surprise that Apple sued Samsung. I have always known these two to be underground buddies despite being direct competitors since Apple needs Samsung’s products (LCD screens) while Samsung is getting a lot of it’s profit from Apple. Apple might have taken a longer time to figure out the pros and cons of suing one of their major suppliers.
  
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- Calvin says:
  April 19, 2011 at 4:41 pm
  
  that’s why i think it’s just apple’s way to slow down samsung. hmmm….
  
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- mocca says:
  April 19, 2011 at 5:15 pm
  
  I agree with Calvin.
  
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- Chard says:
  April 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm
  
  Apple.. BOOOOHHH!!!!
  
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jb007 says:
April 19, 2011 at 5:23 pm

I have always known these two to be underground buddies despite being direct competitors since Apple needs Samsung’s products (LCD screens) while Samsung is getting a lot of it’s profit from Apple. Apple might have taken a longer time to figure out the pros and cons of suing one of their major suppliers.

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Richard says:
April 19, 2011 at 6:44 pm

This is not about iPhone and Galaxy S. It’s about iPad and Galaxy Tab (which is by the way, superb!)

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- phets says:
  April 20, 2011 at 9:29 am
  
  you just saw the photos in the source cited.. but it also mentioned the comparison between iPhone 3gs & Galaxy S..
  
  http://www.bgr.com/2011/04/18/apple-sues-samsung-over-galaxy-s-galaxy-tab-and-more/
  
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pj says:
April 19, 2011 at 7:16 pm

Hi, Your webblog appears awesome – complete with interesting content articles and so forth. Your own stuff is very nice, Keep it up!

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grace says:
April 19, 2011 at 10:12 pm

who cares about the design? samsung galaxy is way better than the iphone, there’s no doubt about that.

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tmcr says:
April 20, 2011 at 12:59 am

http://i.imgur.com/aLGOQ.jpg

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Bill says:
April 20, 2011 at 11:02 am

I guess, Apple is trying too hard to make us believe they are the only ones driving technology and innovation. I like Apple products, and seems that this time they have a point against Samsung. They look very similar.

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- Casey says:
  April 20, 2011 at 5:35 pm
  
  People always say that Samsung’s Touchwiz UI is very similar to iPhone’s. Maybe it’s not just coincidence
  
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Prasad says:
April 20, 2011 at 4:36 pm

Technology is not a one company or a one person property it is depend upon their companies technical background so Apple’s saying is not correct Samsung’s Galaxy and and Tablets are different from ipad.

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Naklo says:
April 21, 2011 at 11:21 am

It seems every time Apple creates a new product, a handful of other companies copy it almost right away.

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iAn says:
April 23, 2011 at 6:30 pm

That is not healthy for Samsung.

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WXB says:
November 2, 2011 at 2:17 pm

samsung is really a big big threat to apple

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