Apple and Samsung’s ongoing court battle has resulted in a temporary ban of Samsung products all over the globe. The Korean company has been blocked from selling its Galaxy tablet and other devices in Australia, Germany, and other countries.
Now, the duo prepares to square off in the United States, and things just got a lot more interesting. FOSSPatents is reporting that Verizon Wireless, the largest carrier in the country, just filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Samsung…
WHAT? FOSSPatents explains:
“Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless carrier, implores the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to deny Apple’s request for a US-wide preliminary injunction against four Samsung products (the Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G and Droid Charge smartphones, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer), arguing that such a decision would run counter to the public interest as it “would hinder Verizon Wireless in developing and deploying its next generation high-speed LTE [fourth-generation] network, the job growth dependent on that network, and will undercut key public policy goals, including expansion of American’s [sic] access to broadband networks and faster communication with emergency personnel.”
The site goes on to explain that Verizon’s involvement, on behalf of Samsung, is essentially a declaration of war that could have “far reaching consequences in the U.S.” It’s really not all that surprising, though. Verizon has supported Android from the beginning.
While Florian Mueller of FOSSPatents doesn’t think the carrier’s case holds much water, he does think it could garner political attention. After all, mentioning that the outcome of the case could affect jobs (in America’s current situation), is a big deal.
All eyes are on the North District of California court this Fall. If the decision goes Apple’s way, and the injunction is granted, Samsung could lose the ability to sell some of its top-selling devices in the US, right before the holiday season.