A US judge has fined Samsung for withholding vital info in a patent infringement case with Apple. Naughty Samsung.
The case concerns the 'blue glow' feature in TouchWiz, Foss Patents reports. Samsung argued it didn't infringe Apple's patent on the 'scrollback' feature in iOS. This shows a background texture when you scroll beyond the edge of a document or web page -- in other words, what you see in the background when you've gone too far and the page is yanked back.
Apple asked for code from Samsung so it could see it wasn't infringing any patents. That's when Samsung held its hands behind its back and said, "What code?"
Apple then filed a motion with the court demanding Samsung hand it over by 31 December 2011. That didn't happen and now Judge Paul Grewal has penalised the Korean company.
I can understand Samsung being concerned about vital code falling into Apple's hands, but the court has issued a protective order to make sure confidential info is only revealed to technical experts and attorneys -- i.e. those who need to know. So not Apple's execs and engineers. It seems a little cheeky of Samsung to think if it just stays quiet for five months the court won't notice.
Apple and Samsung have some history in the courts, but that looks like it's coming to an end, with a face-to-face scheduled soon to sort it all out once and for all. The animus between the two is even stranger considering they work together on the iPhone, with Samsung supplying parts.
Tim Cook said a while ago he wanted to settle the battle with Android amicably rather than get catty, which is a good sign in my book. I mean, referring to your rival's fans as sheep? I think we can all rise above that now, can't we.
Would you like to see Apple and Samsung bury the hatchet? Or is it hopeless? Let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 6
Add your comment
anonymous 6 May, 2012 13:59
Apple need to stop being such big babies. There afraid if Samsung and they no it.
anonymous 6 May, 2012 14:38
Apple is doing what smart corporations do, protect their Intellectual Property from well known copy cat companies like Samsung. If Samsung has great engineers, then they shouldn't be copying Apple. You can re-invent or work around an idea. But copying is illegal at the moment whether "Anonymous" or other naysayers get it or not.
anonymous 6 May, 2012 20:49
apple is one of the if not the best company to steal ideas from others, s-jobs said it him self.
anonymous 6 May, 2012 22:36
In order to "steal" an idea you don't just copy someone else. You take someone elses idea and make it your own. You change it enough to make something new. You spend years working on a new way of understanding the current technology. Yes everyone has shrunk their phones before. or made rounded icons and grids of icons ecetera. What no one has done before was put it all together in a simple interface with a new type of touch screen that moved the tech out of your way and made finding things simple after learning a few basic rules.
Copying on the other hand, is when you take an exact copy of an iPhone phone charger and change 2 things, the color, and the pin placement so you have your own "charger" and claim that no it is not just like the other one. Ditto the box shape and organization. Ditto the skin on
android with as many icons matching what Apple has already done.
If you don't understand that then you are just not wanting to see it. If you look at what Microsoft and Nokia have done you will see an example of "stealing". They looked at all the phones on the market and said they could do something better with new type of organization and a ground up rethink of what a cellular phone can be.
anonymous 6 May, 2012 23:20
@ anonymous 22:36
Exactly.. I second that
anonymous 7 May, 2012 23:19
I think it's a little silly going to court about what happens if you keep scrolling past a lost or website or whatever...