Galaxy S

Samsung may add iPhone 5 to US patent infringement lawsuit

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

If you thought the legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung was settled with August's patent-infringement jury decision, you were wrong. In a patent infringement lawsuit filed in February in the same San. Jose, Calif. courthouse that awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, the two rivals are preparing for a grudge match. Now the Wall Street Journal reports the South Korean smartphone maker "anticipates" it will add the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 4S in its list of allegedly infringing devices.

Surprise, a lot of folks get confused between Apple and Samsung products

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Seriously, do you know anyone who in their right mind would mistaken a Samsung phone for an iPhone? Anyone? If your answer is a resounding 'no', congrats - you're officially a geek, just like yours truly.

Now, Apple's been arguing from the onset that the extent of alleged copying of its industrial design exhibited in Samsung's work introduces a strong likelihood of customer confusion between the two brands.

While gadget lovers whose morning routine includes skimming through tech news cannot grasp how anyone could possibly mistaken a gadget with the Samsung logo for one with a bitten apple on it, to those outside the tech circles - you know, the general public, average consumers and Joes Schmucks of this world - the similarities are painfully obvious.

Specifically, one in two thought they saw an iPhone when presented with an image depicting a Samsung phone...

Confidential Apple, Samsung sales data revealed in court documents

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The Apple v. Samsung case is a peep show of sorts, a pornographic public showing of the two technology giant's closely kept secrets to the extent that we have for the first time been allowed to examine a bunch of early device prototypes, read internal communication about Apple's engineering process, including tidbits like Apple's 'kitchen' brainstorming, and laugh over such mundane things as stickers on court exhibits.

And now, a very important and confidential piece of information has also been publicized, Apple's and Samsung's sales numbers...

Apple and Samsung now bickering over stickers on court exhibits

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 10, 2012

We were expecting all sorts of clever maneuvering and cunning legal tactics in the Apple v. Samsung case, but in all honesty nothing could have prepared us for this.

Seemingly out of the blue, Samsunf on Friday filed a motion that asks the court to take a closer look at the stickers Apple plastered on the back of Samsung devices which are part of court exhibits pertaining to the case.

The Galaxy maker argues that Apple just recently attached large exhibit labels to the backside of its devices in a manner that purposefully obscures Samsung's trade dress (the visual appearance of a product or its packaging).

Samsung names three devices in its motion, among them the Galaxy S Captivate (pictured above) which Samsung argues could deceive the jurors with its large sticker that intentionally obscures "a distinct checkered back panel". No, really...

Here’s how much Apple is demanding in damages per each Samsung device

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

It was recently suggested that Apple wanted Samsung to pay as much as $2.5 billion in damages for allegedly copying its iOS devices: $500 million in lost profits, $25 million in royalty damages and a whopping $2 billion for the profits Samsung “unjustly received” using Apple’s intellectual property.

A new report breaks down the figure on a per-device basis, as outlined in an exhibit prepared by accounting consulting firm Invotex Group, which specializes in calculating royalty rates for litigation...

Industrial design expert on why Samsung is the copyist

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2012

Samsung has been called the copyist by Apple many times over, the first time in court documents the iPhone maker filed as part of patent infringement claims brought against its frenemy in April of 2011.

But evidence is mounting that Samsung slavishly copied some areas of the iPhone experience, like the iPhone's gorgeous icons.

On Monday, Apple brought in an expert to testify before a northern California court where the iPhone and Galaxy makers locked horns in the patent trial of the century...

Despite Samsung’s lead, Apple continues to rule profits

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2012

Though Samsung sold twice as many smartphones during the June quarter compared to Apple, the South Korean company still lags behind Apple in terms of the most important metric, operating profit. According to latest estimates, Apple took home more than three out of four dollars earned in the cell phone making biz.

That's despite shipping only a little more than six percent of all mobile phones in the world, mind you. Even more interesting than that, Apple and Samsung together took 108 percent of the industry's operating profit. Wait, what?

Samsung: we went public with excluded exhibits because you asked for it

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 4, 2018

As we reported yesterday, Samsung has gotten itself in some hot water with Judge Lucy Koh who strongly condemned its attorneys' decision to influence the jurors by publicizing previously excluded evidence. Samsung was hoping to sway the court of public opinion by releasing a set of slides and a media release which it hoped to use in the litigation to establish that Apple sough inspiration for the iPhone's design from Sony, as its product chief suggested in a pre-trial interview.

The Judge demanded that Samsung's legal team reveal who exactly drafted the press release and who authorized it. The Galaxy maker today filed a brief responding to Judge Koh's request which explains Samsung's reasoning behind the unusual move...

Samsung’s product chief dumbs down litigation with Apple to rectangles

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Wired sat down with Apple's Jony Ive to talk design ahead of the trial of the century which kicked off in northern California today and the publication is now extending the courtesy to Samsung, interviewing its product person to hear the other side.

Samsung's Kevin Packingham discussed patent and design accusations between his company and Apple, the result of which is bound to have serious ramifications for both parties. Unsurprisingly, the executive played down Apple's concerns that the Galaxy tablets and smartphones copy the iPhone and iPad slavishly, pointing out there's really just one way to go about the candy bar form factor...

The Apple-Samsung mega-trial kicks off today, here’s what the jury will see

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

A high-stake technology trial involving Apple and Samsung is set to kick off today in a U.S. District court in San Jose, northern California over design and patent infringement claims involving Samsung's Galaxy lineup of smartphones and tablets and Apple's iPhone and iPad.

In the run-up to the mega-trial a bunch of court filings was made public, revealing Samsung's overly aggressive court strategy but also offering a unique glimpse into Apple's prototyping and industrial design processes. When all is said and done, this is what the jurors will see...

Annual iPhone cycle helped Samsung destroy Apple in Q2 smartphone sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

It appears Samsung is creeping up on Apple slowly but surely. Not content with overtaking Apple and Nokia as the world's largest smartphone and cell phone vendor, respectively, Samsung during the June quarter managed to widen its lead by selling twice as much smartphones as Apple.

Driven by the surprisingly strong start of its latest flagship handset, the Galaxy S III, Samsung has managed to increase its worldwide smartphone share while Apple slid. Man, Apple really needs to refresh the iPhone twice a year because this annual update cycle is becoming the company's Achilles' heel...

Samsung surpasses 10 million Galaxy S III shipments in 55 days

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

A month ago Samsung publicly set a target for Galaxy S III shipments at ten million units by the end of July. Today, the company announced it hit that milestone. A successor to the Galaxy S II, by and large the most popular Android handset, the Galaxy S III was unveiled at a London event on May 29, 55 days ago. A month later it arrived at U.S. shores.

In the two weeks following the London unveiling, the S III received more than nine million pre-orders from a hundred carriers, making it the fastest-selling gadget in history.

For comparison, the iPhone 4S sold four million units during its launch weekend (including pre-orders) and the Galaxy S II took five months to hit ten million shipments...