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Samsung Wants To See iPhone 5 and iPad 3

tekgoblin writes "The suit against Samsung that Apple filed back in April has been full of surprises recently; Apple even asked to see some of Samsung's future devices. Now, Samsung is requesting to view Apple's upcoming devices such as the iPad 3 and iPhone 5."

20 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Yes I remember... by lxs · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I show you mine if you show me yours."

    they never did.

  2. Re:And iPhone 5 will look like by Jimbookis · · Score: 2

    Oh goddammit. I didn't need that right before bed.

  3. Delaying Release by Nerdfest · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I found the comment that this may delay their release the most interesting. If true, perhaps this will stop Apple and others from abusing the legal system in the future. Smart move on Samsung's part.

    1. Re:Delaying Release by carou · · Score: 4, Informative

      Except that's completely incorrect. I know the link says "asked to see some of Samsung's future devices" but that doesn't mean the request was granted. Rather:

      She [Judge Koh] also limited the results of discovery to "Outside Counsel Eyes Only," meaning neither Apple nor its in-house counsel will get a peek at the phones or related marketing materials.

      Apple will get no opportunity to rip off Samsung's pre-release designs. It's such a shame that the facts are so much less interesting than your speculation.

    2. Re:Delaying Release by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's right, Apple got to where it is today by ripping of Samsung's designs.

    3. Re:Delaying Release by solkimera · · Score: 2

      still, having only apple's counsel look at stuff gives them unfair advantage. I mean, they can make whatever claim they want about what they had planned for future devices.

    4. Re:Delaying Release by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2

      Not all communication with counsel is considered privilege. Defying a court order or planning a crime, for example. For example a client may tell his counsel whether he or she committed a crime and that is considered privilege. A client telling counsel about future crimes he or she will commit is not privileged. Sanctions can be imposed on counsel that violate a judge's order including disbarment.

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  4. Relax, I be a doctor by TheyTookOurJobs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While I completely believe Apple is paranoid enough to believe that everyone is stealing their generic unappealing design, it's frightening that a judge can tell Samsung to pull down it's pants and cough.

    1. Re:Relax, I be a doctor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I mean generic sure but "unappealing" is a bit ridiculous being that they're the most popular single devices out there.

      But hey, you're just trolling and I have fed you. Congrats.

  5. mentioned before but.... by metalmaster · · Score: 2

    Apple and Samsung employees/execs/lawyers are not viewing eachother's designs. The review is done by a supposedly unbiased third-party who will simply look for any infringement. No one from either camp gets to stare at what im starting to believe is some sort of circuit board porn

  6. I have a simple answer to IP questions.. by cheros · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Watch Johanna Blakely talk at TED about the fashion industry.

    It's got a number of rather interesting points:

    - designers take creative input from anywhere
    - logos on goods are the only thing you cannot copy
    - the customers for copied goods are not the customers a designer would normally have anyway, something the music and film industry might have to start thinking about (Microsoft understands this better - it's what they use for initial market penetration).

    Worth watching, whatever side of the IP fence you live..

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    1. Re:I have a simple answer to IP questions.. by wvmarle · · Score: 4, Insightful

      - the customers for copied goods are not the customers a designer would normally have anyway

      While (mostly) true, there is a good reason for fashion designers to crack down on copied goods: brand dilution. In Hong Kong it appears almost all women are walking around with the typical LV-styled hand bags. Standard in brown with golden logo printed all over. But of course most of those are cheap mainland-made rip-offs bought across the border or on local street markets.

      Those that spend a lot of money for the real thing do not stand out anymore. There is no reason to buy such a bag anymore, and the reason for a fashion-conscious person to buy some designer stuff is to have something unique. Why else pay the big bucks?

    2. Re:I have a simple answer to IP questions.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Clearly you do not understand fashion, or do in an autistic way.

      The reason to but designer stuff is not to have something unique, it's to be able to be an asshole to those that didn't and make them jealous.

      The purest form of joy comes from saying "Oh is that a Loui Vuitton? How much did you pay for it? Oh it's a knockoff? well, mine's real. You cheap whore."

    3. Re:I have a simple answer to IP questions.. by cheros · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not to stir things up, but it would only be fair to observe that would be the viewpoint of those that cannot afford it..

      There are generally two reasons why people prefer a certain fashion brand: the type you mentioned (and yes, there's a lot of them about) and those who simply like the values and design the brand brings.

      Let me take a simple example. If you take the trouble to walk into an Armani store you can see two types of clothing: "LOOK AT ME" fashion which has the brand plastered all over it in the biggest, high contrast characters possible. That's the wannabe clothing, and the type most often knocked off.

      However, you will also find clothing that is simply well made, decently cut along the line of the cloth and sits well the moment you put it on. That stuff isn't as expensive as you seem to think - especially if you buy a bit more classic (easiest for a man) you can have such stuff for years, provided you don't change shape :-). Because it's expertly cut it also looks good.

      This is generally the case with the better brands - as long as you don't go super exclusive a decent brand will have a degree of managed quality. Which make you buy depends on what design you like - I don't have a favourite, I just buy what I like.

      I also buy crap if I can't be bothered - that generally lasts twice before I bring it to a textile collection point :-)

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    4. Re:I have a simple answer to IP questions.. by bennomatic · · Score: 2

      This. I bought my wife a Coach leather purse because the cheap pieces of crap she was buying were falling apart within a few months of her getting them. Coach makes some gaudy, ugly shite, and they also make some simple, classic bags that will look good just about forever. I got her the latter. Some of her friends acted as if she'd gone all bourgeois on them, but the truth is, $200 for one purse that's six years old and still looks new (with a little black shoe polish every once in a while) is way less than $50 a year on some cheap knock-off of "high fashion" would have been.

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  7. Re:What goes around... by wvmarle · · Score: 2

    If you think that patenting has to do with keeping things secret, then you obviously have no clue about the reason we have patents. Patents are designed to fully disclose an invention; actually a patent is supposed to be written in a way that someone skilled in the art can build the machine described in the patent. This to promote the disclosure of inventions, and with that to increase common knowledge. The reward for this full disclosure is a time-limited monopoly on the use of that invention.

    A design patent is different: it means that no-one is allowed to use the same design in their products. How same is same... that's what's now in court. Of course no secrets involved here, just protection of one's intellectual property (a design patent doesn't have an expiry data afaik - I'm not sure about that point), in a fashion similar to trademarks (a trademark is basically protected by using it, for unlimited time, protection ends when you stop using it - registration is optional though highly recommended).

  8. Re:What goes around... by UnknowingFool · · Score: 3, Informative

    In the actual story, there are details about which products Apple wants to see. Samsung's products are already released or going to be released in the near future. They have been shown and demonstrated like at CES 2011 in February.

    • Galaxy S2: released in South Korea April 28, 2011
    • Galaxy 8.9: early summer 2011
    • Galaxy 10.1: release date June 8, 2011
    • Infuse 4G; released May 15, 2011
    • Droid Charge: released May 14, 2011

    Apple, however, has not announced nor shown their upcoming products. The public does not even know the name of upcoming products. This has been Apple's way of doing things for years. When Apple announces or shows their products, they will announce when they will be available and usually within weeks. The only exception I can remember is the original iPhone which had a six month lead; but the reason Apple stated that it announced so early was that it was going to be hard to keep it a secret much longer as they had to apply for FCC licensing. Apple applying for FCC licensing for a cell phone when they didn't make cell phones was going to be an public indication.

    The question one could ask is why Apple needs the design when the product is already released. The answer is rather simple: Samsung, as the manufacturer, is the only one that can provide official designs to Apple. Getting the designs from anyone else is not official.

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  9. Re:Meanwhile in the UK and Korea by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2

    If you actually read the link you provided, it clearly says "for this week." Statistically you'd need a much larger sample size than 1 to make a general claim for trends. I remember there were a few weeks when the Zune outsold the iPod. Those were the weeks when retailers like Amazon heavily discounted them to get rid of inventory as they had not been selling well. No one would say that over the history of the Zune that it outsold the iPod.

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  10. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by mjwx · · Score: 2

    ... But isn't it apple suing Samsung for copying their design?

    I can see why a judge wants Apple to see the next Samsung models, but I fail to understand why would he ever grant Samsung permission to check future Apple releases.

    Because Samsung can counter sue if the future designs have copied anything from the Galaxy series.

    But then again, Apple is suing Samsung because the Galaxy S has rounded corners and the box it comes in is kinda the same. Heck, lets do away with the false pretences, Apple is suing Samsung because Samsung is a threat to them and they cant compete. Samsung is saying they will go after Apple's jugular with this move.

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  11. Re:Apple User = Milkable Cow by Sockatume · · Score: 2

    By the standards of this market segment, Apple's actually slow to render its products obsolete. In the past nine months, Samsung has released the Galaxy S, the Galaxy S II, and the Nexus S, while HTC has had the Desire, the Desire S, and the Desire's explicit replacement, the HTC Sensation. The mobile phone industry runs on a three-month cycle, with conferences set to that rhythm. By releasing phones once a year, Apple's actually going relatively slowly.

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