Here we go again. Samsung has issued a fresh batch of steaming hot legal accusations at Apple, alleging its iPad mini, latest iPad, and iPod touch all violate its patents, our sister site CNET News reports.
It asked a federal district court in the US to add the products to its ongoing legal squabble with Apple.
The Korean company alleges that Apple's latest products violate the same patents as the previous models. It doesn't show much sign of stopping either, claiming, "all Apple products including a built-in speaker and an external audio output port" are guilty of the same. That'll be almost everything Apple makes, then.
These accusations are part of a separate case to the one that saw Apple take Samsung to the cleaners to the tune of $1bn. There's definitely no love lost between the two companies.
Apple gets on considerably better with HTC. The two companies recently agreed to a 10-year deal in which they'll license patents from each other. They'll also stop suing each other for the foreseeable future, which will make a change.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Samsung is trying to use that deal to stop its own products being banned by Apple. Samsung is arguing that if any patents licensed by Apple to HTC include those Apple successfully sued Samsung for infringing, the case is null and void. In the words of the court filing, Apple will have been happy to "forego exclusivity in exchange for money".
In other words, Apple can't have it both ways, in Samsung's eyes.
It seems barely a day passes without Apple and Samsung at each other's throats. Do you think Samsung has a case? Or should these companies put their differences behind them and focus on making better products? You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. Let me know what you reckon on our Facebook page, or in the comments below.
Update: Apple has hit back, asking the court to include the Galaxy S3 running Android Jelly Bean, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Rugby Pro (?!) and Galaxy S3 Mini in the patent case, Engadget reports. Fight fire with fire, and all that.
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Meleagru 24 November, 2012 11:23
Software patents need to be taken under a bridge and shot in the head. Along with patents on living things, like seeds and genes. All this nonsense is just holding progress back and it will be shameful for me to tell my grandchildren that I lived in an age when people thought otherwise.
anonymous 24 November, 2012 11:33
Apple and Samsung are both as bad as each other with this BS.
Wonder how much nicer this world would be without greedy lawyers as well...
anonymous 24 November, 2012 18:02
@anonymous no Samsung are just giving as good as they get because they can
anonymous 25 November, 2012 09:53
@anonymous no apple are just giving as good as they get because they can
anonymous 25 November, 2012 17:09
@anonymong shut it! and that comment is so original how did you think of that! Apple started all this because they can't innovate
anonymous 25 November, 2012 21:02
@Meleagru Really? That way companies can spend billions on research and development, only for their competitors to take it as their own and make hundreds of millions or more in profits.
Meleagru 25 November, 2012 22:51
First of all companies don't care about you, they care about profit and only profit. The whole reason they even have PR departments is to maximize sales, not do any actual good. So why would you give two cents about any company? Software patents are an oxymoron, with an emphasis on the last part. Patenting an idea is the most stupid thing I can imagine. You don't even need a working product, you just lay claims to future functionality. How is that good for any consumer is beyond me. If you think progress is why software patents exist, you are deluding yourself. They are just another means to a quick profit for companies with an enormous cost for everyone else.
anonymous 26 November, 2012 08:23
Meleagru.
Doing away with patent protection will result in the exact oposite of what you desire. It will stifle innovation almost completely.
The best way to foster innovation and spark competition is to prevent rogue companies blatently copying and stealing other's patented ideas, forcing them to find their own solutions and ways of creating attractive products.