Apple sued Samsung in its most recent retaliation against what the company believes to be blatant infringement of its trademark and patents. The lawsuit takes aim at Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. Apple says the products are little more than design copies of the company's iPhone and iPad lines, down to "the icons with rounded corners."
The lawsuit is the latest addition to an increasingly complicated tangle of lawsuits among smartphone competitors, each vying for recognition of their patent rights to new innovations. This case in particular puts Samsung in an uncomfortable position as the firm garnered an estimated $5.7 million in revenue from Apple’s business in 2010 alone. Analysts believe Apple’s purchasing power at the Seoul-based firm, mainly through its purchase of semiconductors, may curb a potentially bitter legal dispute.
Apple’s suit brings 16 claims against Samsung, including trademark infringement and 10 patent claims, but the outcome is anything but certain. A recommendation by the U.S. International Trade Commission staff rolled out yesterday stated that Apple’s separate patent infringement claims against HTC and Nokia should not stand.
