Apple and Samsung Battle over Intellectual Property

 

Apple and Samsung have been throwing lawsuits at each other, ever since Apple first sued Samsung for a slew of patent infringements. While the fact that Apple would initiate legal measures against a vital supplier surprised many, it must be said that Apple has set a very distinctive brand image, and branding is undoubtedly fundamental to the success story that Apple is.

As a background, the saga began in April when Apple charged that Samsung’s range of smartphones and Galaxy tabs infringed on Apple’s copyrighted iOS and iDevices logos and packaging. Aside from the look and feel itself, Apple drew on some points of similarity in terms of the user interface, messaging and the gesture recognition features. Jobs’ demands from Samsung included removal of the Galaxy range off the market as well as legal claims for punitive damages and lost profits. Not to be outdone, Samsung soon filed its own counter-suit tat referred to as many as 10 different IP infringements.

While the initial spate of lawsuits were understandable given that Apple is purported to have channeled over two billion dollars in brand development, what was clearly surprising was Samsung’s dropping of their retaliation suits. The claims made by Samsung were still valid and were filed as counter-claims on the original lawsuit, but with Samsung dropping its countersuit, Apple might just be better placed as far as the legal claims goes. Undeniably though, the prime outcome of this long-drawn battle seems to be the evident souring of relations between the two tech giants. Seen in conjunction with the patent-buying spree that Microsoft launched recently, apparently in a bid to outdo rival Google’s Android OS, the outcome of such Tech wars seems to be far from worthwhile.

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