Apple/Samsung Lawsuit Revised: More Products Included
Remember those Itchy and Scratchy cartoons that would show up in episodes of The Simpsons from time to time? They were like Tom and Jerry, but uncensored. One clip I can remember shows Itchy trying to outdo Scratchy by threatening him with a larger weapon than the one he was holding.
Itchy retaliated with an even bigger one. And so, the duel continued until they had guns the size of the planet. That is exactly what this Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit is turning in to.
Originally Apple filed the suit to claim that the Galaxy S series copied the look and feel of the iPhone 3GS/3G. It was also claimed that the Galaxy Tab came with accessories similar to those that were available for the iPad. After which, Cupertino demanded that Sammy hand over a bunch of gadgets so that it could check if it had a legal leg to stand on.
Samsung responded by requesting to see the secret iPad 3 and iPhone 5. Apple dismissed this attempt to pry and has now revised its original lawsuit to include even more devices manufactured by the Korean company. The quote below comes from FOSS patents:
“The original complaint specifically accused the following products of infringement: “the Samsung Captivate, Continuum, Vibrant, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Indulge, Mesmerize, Showcase, Fascinate, Nexus S, Gem, Transform, Intercept, and Acclaim smart phones and the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet.”
The amended complaint accuses all of the above plus the Droid Charge, Exhibit 4G, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Prevail, Galaxy S (i9000), Gravity, Infuse 4G, Nexus S 4G, Replenish, Sidekick, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Galaxy S II (aka Galaxy S 2). It also specifies the accusation against “Showcase” products, naming the Showcase i500 and Showcase Galaxy S.”
After Apple’s recent iOS 5 beta release, it’s not as if the new software doesn’t “look and feel” more Android-y. Surely RIM could also sue for the implementation of iMessage? Where does all of this stop? Personally, I think it’s a little ridiculous considering the iPhone clones that are all over the internet. Wouldn’t Apple be better off targeting the guys who make copies of its handsets? What do you think?