T-Mobile takes Samsung’s corner in patent fight with Apple

By on Sep 29, 2011 at 11:00 PM
Business September 29, 2011

T-Mobile USA has issued a statement in support of Samsung in the phone maker’s ongoing legal battles with Apple. T-Mobile said any court actions taken against Samsung preventing the South Korea-based company from selling its devices in the United States would “unnecessarily harm” the carrier. Specifically, T-Mobile is worried that a potential injunction could have an ill effect on holiday sales. “At this late date, T-Mobile could not find comparable replacement products for the 2011 holiday season,” T-Mobile said, according to Reuters. The carrier will begin to offer Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S II smartphone beginning on October 10th and has big marketing plans for that device and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. “While T-Mobile respects intellectual property rights and believes that owners of intellectual property deserve the right to present their arguments and evidence of infringement in court, a preliminary injunction is a drastic and extraordinary measure, and the courts should pay particular attention to its public consequences,” T-Mobile explained in a statement obtained by AllThingsD. Verizon Wireless took a similar stance on Wednesday when it said said an injunction against Samsung would “harm Verizon Wireless and U.S. customers.”

Read [AllThingsD] Read [Reuters]

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23 Comments

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  • dwinsmith

    Since Android is like 98% of their smartphone sales and Samsung is likely their best selling next to HTC, I would say that makes sense for their business even if their reasons “it will hurt consumers” is somewhat untrue.

  • Anonymous

    They should have thought about the consequences before buddying up with copycats like Samsung.

    • Anonymous

      They “buddied” up with samsung because samsung was willing to sell them products, unlike greedy apple that wanted a big payday by signing an exclusive. Tmo is horribly mismanaged and underfunded. They couldn’t afford the iphone before and earlier this week the cto was begging apple for the iphone 5… Just so isheep like you can carry around a phone sized video game player in your pocket, eagerly awaiting an opportunity to pull it out of your skinny jeans with your a&f shirt and your sandals, hoping someone will see you with it and think your cool. Well, your not. Scroat!

      • IPwn

        Wow you describe a whole 1% of iPhone users. Most people I see using them are 20-60 and like it cause it’s easy to use and designed well. Unlike cheap plastic samsung

      • Anonymous

        No, not 1%. More like 80%. But there were plenty of old people that had no need for a data phone. I was so sick of old people coming in wanting to buy an iphone. When I asked why they wanted it they didnt know. They saw a commercial and wanted it. Old people that have no idea what it does or that you need a data pack with it. don’t get your skinny jeans in a bunch.

      • dwinsmith

        That fact that the iPhone is still seen as being cool is a bad thing? It’s not Apple’s fault other phones don’t have the same status associated with them, no matter how trivial it may be. Most people are clueless about technology so they buy what they like, see other people with or their friends tell them to get.

        The fact the it makes you so upset just proves the point though. Your getting upset that people like it, which is also very silly.

      • Anonymous

        It had nothing to do with the phone.people blindly followed the marketing. Its not cool. The point was that people are stupid and want it cause someone else said it was cool. Unless you sell phones, you have no idea how annoying that is to have to deal with those idiots. You’ve proved no point. I’m not mad at the phone, I’m mad at stupid people

      • Flintchesthair

        i love it when people describe a company as “greedy” and “want a big pay day” like they are bad things. fucking duh man! of course they want to make as much money as possible. maybe when the salvation army starts making phones you can buy one of them and feel good about yourself.

      • KCRic

        Begged? You really didn’t read the story did you? Just the BGR headline version.

    • http://twitter.com/kurnialim kurnia lim

      @assb10yr5 As far as I know, Apple sued because of the shape that rectangular and rounded corner, there are lot of out there using this shape, O2 Mini back long time ago also rectangular with rounded corner, so? 
      @ScroatFan becaise people buy it they want the brand and sleek design, I bet if you ask them what’s the technology inside iphone, 50% I’m sure that they don’t know. and iphone is just a ipod+phone, so it’s just a multimedia/entertainment, if u ask me bo buy it, sorry, I need phone for my business needs, not for watching movie or play game. I love my bold 9900 for my business needs, and still got Nexus S cos I love Big G.

  • Anonymous

    T-mobile is mad then a mug that they will not get a iphone,so they looked at their profits for the quarter and realized they don’t need the iphone. They are making mega bucks off of Android. So they back Samsung, cause apple is trying to take money out of their mouth with this ban!

  • Bankss411

    Just come up with your own look and feel.

  • EasierToSue

    These silly lawsuits really go to show how messed up our patent system is here in the US.  

    Apparently the Android line is still Verizon’s best selling OS so they have an interest to protect as well as T-Moblle USA.  

    I like Apple but more and more they seem to feel that competing in the courtroom is easier than offering better spec’d products.   I know the Apple iOS products are great and consumers love them but Android keeps pushing out devices that eclipse everything Apple puts out every other month and I’m sure Apple sees suing as a way to stop Android momentum.  

  • Anonymous

    Said the guy who doesn’t carry the iphone…

  • Plazmic Flame

    Tmobile is such a bitch. Start selling the iPhone and shut up.

  • Anonymous

    Does this now mean no iPhone for T-Mobile?  T-Mobile wants to do business with Apple but took the side of one of Apple’s top rivals/competitors.  I want to see how this will end.  Will Apple seek revenge and say “NO iPhone for YOU,” or will they say “it’s just business as usual?”  Let’s wait and see

    • Anonymous

      I want Apple to get the actor that played the Soup Nazi to say “No iPhone for you!” and put it on TV. Now that would be funny!

      • Plazmic Flame

        That would be epic!! LOL!

  • Myway593

    T MOBILE TAKING A SIDE HERE. THEY ARE LOSEING MONEY LIKE WE ALL TAKE SHITS EVERDAY AND THESE FOOLS ARE WORRING ABOUT A JAP COMPANY THAT STEALS OUR TECHNOLOGY.

    • rdg666

      Wow… Racist much?

      Oh, and by the way, Samsung is a South Korean company, NOT Japanese. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about their ripoff phones, but your comment was just idiotic and pathetic.

  • http://rmbo47.myopenid.com/ rmbo47

    Maybe this is why they’re NOT getting the iPhone. Which is fine really. They made a strategic decision to go with Android, no problem. But then why is that T-Mobile weenie out yesterday whining about no iPhone?

  • Anonymous

    I believe that T-Mobile’s legal team carefully reviewed the merits of the lawsuit before they decided to side with Samsung and that Apple’s refusal to give the iPhone to T-Mobile had nothing to do with this. Then again I believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. 

  • Savant

    While Apple is legitimately using litigation as a means to slow down Android, the real reason Apple got mighty pissed at Samsung and sued them hard (more than HTC) is that Samsung somehow got hold of the new iPhone 5 design ahead of time and implemented the look and feel of iPhone 5 in their international release of SGSII.

    The capacitive oval Home button and the thinness on SGSII is an implementation that will make iPhone 5 look like it copied Samsung’s design. Hardware design is at the center of Apple’s ego. They will not tolerate anyone that makes them look like copycats there (esp. if it was their design to begin with and their so-called partner stole it).

    Some of their ire has been reigned in lately with all the SGSII variants in the US sticking to the the traditional 4 button Android design. So we may see less vitriol and more settlements.

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