Samsung beat Apple in court, for not being as cool

Samsung won its latest patent dispute with Apple recently for being “not as cool” according to the Judge. The particular case that was being battled was that of design copying which Apple alleged Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was a copy of the iPad’s design. The Judge for the case, Colin Birss, ruled that this was not the case at all. In as many words he stated that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was not a copy of the iPad in any way as it was designed to produce a different effect to that which the iPad produces, which is ‘coolness’.

“They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design, They are not as cool. The overall impression produced is different.”

Judge Colin Birss agreed that although the tablets were visually similar from the front, they are significantly different on the reverse. There are only so many ways to design a tablet, and with Apple claiming that the Samsung Galaxy Tab is an iPad copy, they might as well try and lay claim to every other tablet on the market being an iPad copy.

It’s certainly nothing new to see Apple and Samsung battling each other in court. For several years legal disputes over patents and the like have been raging, with a mixed bag of successes for both Apple and Samsung. It’s also no secret most of the legal disputes have been started thanks to Apple, now the world’s most famous patent troll. So far we have seen temporary product bans, countless appeals and just a general de-fouling of the patent system, where everything and anything is can be patented in the eyes of fiercely competitive companies.

Samsung issued a statement on Judge Colin Birss’ final decision:

“Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims in other countries based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited.”

It’s a battle of attempted market domination against preserving market innovation, and we can say that we are delighted market innovation wins again. Unlucky Apple.

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