Samsung Launches Patent Suits in Australia and Japan Over iPhone 4S

[Phillip Swanson]

Samsung is back on the offensive and seeking an injunction against Apple’s iPhone 4S in Australia and Japan.

Samsung filed similar suits against Apple in Italy and Germany last week. The suits are likely in response to Apple winning an injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia and a soon to be decided case in the U.S. over the same tablet. In that case Samsung’s lawyers were unable to identify which of two tablets displayed was the Galaxy Tab when asked in court.

According to the WSJ Samsung is citing user interface patents and technology infringements in the Japanese case. In the Australian case Samsung is reportedly citing patents “related to telecommunication standards.” Foss Patents analyzed the court documents and doesn’t believe the Australian case has much merit on Samsung’s part, but the Japanese case is still up in the air.

The situation is less clear in Japan, where Samsung is using one standards-related patent but also "three user interface patents" according to the statement quoted by the SMH. Those user interface patents are presumably not subject to FRAND licensing commitments, in which case Samsung would be allowed to seek injunctions based on them and it would all depend on whether those patents will be upheld (since Apple will be sure to contest their validity) and actually infringed. — Foss Patents

Apple appears to be winning the patent war between the two companies, and if this weekend’s sales figures are any indication Apple might be winning the sales war as well.

Sources: Foss Patents, WSJ

[Jahooba]

They should have shown a comparison between the iPad and the Samsung picture frame from from 2006. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget....ctureframe.jpg

[GrandMstrBud]

Why can't both of these companies spend their time and money on making their products better and welcome the competition instead of all these lawsuits?

[Holyloktar]

Why can't both of these companies spend their time and money on making their products better and welcome the competition instead of all these lawsuits?

Well said!

[GeoffS4]

Why can't both of these companies spend their time and money on making their products better and welcome the competition instead of all these lawsuits?

Well, simply, because one company was being innovative and the other company was not. Let's face it, Apple was highly innovative in it's tablet and mobile phone designs and interface. These other companies completely copied them, some with minimal effort to make adjustments.

Don't talk about innovation when the battle is over something that one company is not making the same breakthroughs on.

[GoTiK]

Why can't both of these companies spend their time and money on making their products better and welcome the competition instead of all these lawsuits?

Because they are already making all the money they want with their products (as faulty as they are) from idiots like us buying any piece of crap they produce. So what they want now is to increase profit margins by stealing the share of the "idiots" market from the competition, get it?

[Evoss]

samsung wins

[duromega]

Samsung should stop copying , and make something different so others company can copy, like they are doing with apple, I don't think apple will ever copy a product from another company, all their products so far are innovation and reinvented. 

[jrrtps]

okay i called samsung for repair and i could not understand a word the girl was saying.

well , why Apple not say anything about the huge iPad copies in China that you can see in every corner in Shangai, Beijin , etc., in fact you can find it around the world including eBay, there is a commercial interest on this or just advertsing!!!