Samsung files countersuit against Apple in U.S.

By on Apr 29, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Legal April 29, 2011

Apple sent a shock wave through the technology community when it announced it was suing Samsung — a company that supplies the Cupertino-based iPhone maker with over $5 billion worth of components each year. Now that the gloves are officially off, Samsung is doing a little legal posturing of its own, this time Stateside. Reuters is reporting that Samsung Electronics has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the company has violated no fewer than ten patents held by the Korean company. “Apple copied many of Samsung’s innovations, according to Samsung’s U.S. lawsuit,” reads the report. “For instance, one of the patents Samsung accuses Apple of violating involves the ability for mobile phones to display the time.” The case will be heard at a date to be named in U.S. District Court, Norther District of California. Samsung has already filed complaints against Apple in Japan, Korea, and Germany.

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  • http://twitter.com/MrKow84 Kyle

    Samsung won’t win… but in 6 months they’ll make Apple there screen for the iPhone 6…

    • serpentor

      Sammy has a patent for displaying time.

      iOS displays time.

      This case seems cut and dry to me. Apple is guilty.

      • anDROIDfan

        I agree! Why are they wasting time in court???

      • http://twitter.com/arindamcanada Arindam Mukherjee

        then they will sue the court for displaying the time in the court room….such a vicious cycle

      • shieße

        that’s retarded. every phone shows the time.

      • Anonymous

        Yeah it is stupid, and when has Sammy ever sued a company for doing it? It’s as stupid as Apple suing Sammy over a bunch of stupid patents. Grid of icons, what smartphone besides wp7 doesn’t have a grid of icons, or even a feature phone? Like apple created the grid of icons? Apple is suing Sammy because they are becoming a threat and the only way to eliminate that treat is the sue them. So Sammy is fighting fire with fire both patents are stupid but Apple started it because they can’t handle a little competition.

    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6HpRLyzMY Walter Sobchak

      *their

      • anDROIDfan

        Their there Walt

    • Droidman101

      Not sure about the iphone 6, maybe the isuck 5

    • Joe122

      Nope.. Sharp is going to help for the iPhone 6.. Instead of samsung.

  • Anonymous

    You can’t patent time. That’s about as dumb as they come.

    • John

      Have you read anything about what Apple has been suing other companies for? They probably want to sue Mother Nature for making a fruit that infringes on their logo trademark.

      • http://twitter.com/iLama Taylor Simpson

        Some of their lawsuits are rather absurd, if I remember correctly they had a lawsuit against HTC and Nokia for making devices that integrate applications with hardware

    • Anonymous

      umm… they didn’t. But they DO own the patent to display time (in one way or another). And they’re not being dumb at all. Samsung never sued them for violating their patents, until Apple sued. So all your accolades need to go to Apple…

    • KCRic

      Well there’s that lady in Mexico or some where that says she owns the sun. She was trying to get the property rights to it and make everyone pay her for it’s usage. I actually think she almost got it too.

      This lawsuit is no more ridiculous than the ones Apple has and is filing so I don’t see the issue.

  • Luc

    I thought Samsung is a Korean Company

    • Shanghai Dan

      It is. But foreign persons and legal entities (corporations, trusts, etc) can own file and own US patents. Just like a foreign person (me) can file and own patents in South Korea and China (which I do).

      You need to file your patent infringement case in the country where the patent in question is registered. You can only sue for violation of a US patent in a US Federal court.

  • Anonymous

    Goofans (aka Apple Haters) across the U.S. will root (get that, root) for the Koreans, Taiwanese, Chinese et al over any American company. Especially Apple!

    • I’m Shorting Apple Stock

      That’s because Apple is an arrogant, technology-lagging company, not because it’s American.

      Apple can’t put out a good radio product to save its life.

      Sure they are good with toys (Macs, iPods, etc.) but they can’t field a world-beating RF device to save their life.

      Exhibit 1: first iPhone was 2G when the rest of the world was already on 3G.
      Exhibit 2: the iPhone4′s RF performance is pure crap, mostly because they are a toy company & let Jonny Ive design the antenna (OK that is a joke, AppFans don’t get your G-strings in a bunch). But AntennaGate is real.
      Exhibit 3: it’s common knowledge that the next iPhone will still be only 3G. Apple is definitely a lagger, not an innovator or leader, when it comes to radio/RF performance.

      • Anonymous

        Hey man I’m with you. I hate apple as much or more than you… I want them bankrupt. Like you I believe they are behind everyone in technology. Like you I believe that you jump immediately on any new technology proven or unproven, ready for the masses or not! Who the hell cares about regular users satisfaction? Who cares if 4g gives non android users shorter battery life (of course because android self generates power)? So what if Verizon lte went down for days? you’re the most right person ever and I would love to make you my attorney!

        Oh and I forgot… No one, NO ONE, makes better radio products than google anywhere in the world!

      • Droidman101

        Lol, American company, it hires more foxconn workers than american workers. I think the only “true” american companies are ones that provide software-only such as google, yahoo, etc.

    • Senor Chang

      I don’t care about either company, the irony is you’re no better a fanboy that some idiot Fandroid, so look who’s talking.

      But try to make it into some patriotic thing about Apple being an American company? That makes you the ultimate asshole. The only jobs (no pun intended) Apple creates for Americans is schlubbing in a god damn mall store with their company-issued Polos, answering dumb questions and running cash registers for consumers like you.

      When Apple begins manufacturing and assembling their own products here in the U.S. with American hands and when YOU are willing to pay the price it cost to do that, then you can start talking about American VS The World. Pat youurself on the back for being ‘American’ by buying Apple products? Laughable. You are a joke.

      • Anonymous

        Thanks PFChangs! I agree with you! I tell you man, I’ve driven by Cupertino and can’t help but think of home alone with the puppets when I drive by the apple offices and only see carton characters in the windows and in the parking lots. Thousands of them. How much did it cost apple to make all those carton people?

  • Generatione

    Enough of this tit-for-tat suits it is getting ridiculous

    • http://www.facebook.com/harleyhong Harlimus Prime

      is it an apples and apples arguement? or apples and oranges? or f*ck you apple?

  • Anonymous

    Waste of time…

    • hehe

      You’re right, Apple shouldn’t have filed first against Samsung to begin with. Apple is wasting everyone’s time. Right?

      I kills me that whenever Apple sues a company…it’s good. But when a company counters it’s bad, more so when it’s a non-American company.

      • Drew

        Yep, I can give you 2 reasons Apple is suing: Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Samsung Galaxy S II. You thought Android blew up when they first released the Galaxy series. They will obliterate iOS and thus the reason Apple decided to now file suit.

  • Anonymous

    I’m all for Samsung defending itself. But a patent to display the time is just dumb.

    • Yup

      bc none of apple’s BS patent suits are dumb AMIRITE?

      • Anonymous

        I think most patents out there are dumb. Including Apple’s.

    • Drew

      No dumber than trying to sue over the “look and feel” of a 7″ tablet with name clearly emblazed “SAMSUNG” on it. How can someone mistake this for an iPad?? If Apple thinks they can patent the rectangle, they can go f*ck themselves… Both LG and Sony have made phones (before the iPhone) that were “black with a silver edge and had a touchscreen interface”. It’s ridiculous…

    • http://www.facebook.com/wixostrix WixosTrix

      I couldn’t agree more. I laughed my ass off when I saw that. At least Apple’s (main) claim for this is a rip off of their design. Yes, they stole ideas from Palm and LG in the design, but they polished it and made it popular; they did some work. But displaying the time…that almost like someone patenting the ability for the phone to make a call. It’s digital of course it’s going to display the time. And I love my Samsung Focus.

  • http://twitter.com/tinotino tinotino

    Samsung is now a Taiwanese company?

    • http://www.bgr.com Andrew Munchbach

      Yes, realized that as I was writing up HTC earnings… thanks, fixed!

  • YourMom

    Apple deserves it. Can’t argue that.

    • Yup

      FU APPLE

  • …

    Shhhhh….

    Don’t tell anybody….

    My Android phone shows the time also….

    Shhhhh…

    • Droidman101

      Sammy doesn’t care, they’re only suing apple because apple is suing them, they were content just where they were, but now they want to kill apple, not anyone else

  • http://twitter.com/vinny732 vinny c

    thats just the stupided thing i heard.. being sued for the time display maybe we should sue the whole world cause eveyone some how displys the time

    • Droidman101

      People have sued mcdonalds for making them fat and won, so who knows what the hell our legal system is possible of

  • Bringit

    Looks like the real world is just like the debates here in BGR. If you can’t beat ‘um, accuse them of stealing the idea of time.

    • KCRic

      Or of stealing your idea to use icons…

      • Steve Hillshire

        Or stealing the way you touch your screen…

  • Anonymous

    All crApple has to do is change the name to iTime: case iClosed.

    • Yes_iHave_a_iPhone

      lol

  • Anonymous

    GO Samsung, say I. Anyone that attackes the Evil Empire of CrApple gets my vote.

  • depeche85

    Go Samsung! Instead of the EVO 3D this summer, I will buy the Galaxy S2. I hope the Sprint version doesn’t include the tacky bulky keyboard.

  • elmorro

    Apple isn’t stupid. They have the ‘in’ thing right now. They have huge market share. But they only (really) have one thing. And it’s been pretty much the same since it started. Apple will be RIM in a few years. They can ride out the gravy train for a few more years, maybe even a decade. But then it’s gonna become oh so obvious how much it’s platform is lacking (just like the BB is now!)
    Instead of investing to beat the competition (like RIM should have), they try to get rid of the competition by suing. Ironically, RIM may actually come back in a big way if it works out. Android already got Cupertino by the Apples. And once Jobs retires or dies or whatever, Apple has no leadership and vision and will once again become obsolete.

  • https://me.yahoo.com/a/J7Mg.aBrt_zUZAONR5KHn_om4dCMew--#37f81 indio7777

    These lawsuits are just freakin ridiculous.

    Human beings suck.

  • Guest

    “As users travel across time zones, the ability of a mobile device to update to the local time is important for tracking appointments and meetings,”

    Samsung sued Apple for automatic time change when travels between different time zones, not for just displaying the time on mobile phones. BGR is so corrupted, they obviously mislead the fact in order to support Apple over Samsung.

  • Anonymous

    as much as i hate frivolous patents, i do love them being used to counter frivolous patent suits…

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