Apple gets EU injunction on Galaxy Tab 7.7, wants $2.5 billion in damages from US case
What a surprise, there’s more patent shenanigans going on, and once again they are related to Apple. Today’s case is a continuation of the long battle between Samsung and Apple, which seems to have no end. Even though an EU judge recently ordered Apple to publicly apologize to Samsung and make it clear that they didn’t copy the iPad (although Samsung didn’t get all the laughs, as the judge said it was because Samsung tablets aren’t as cool), Apple has continued their legal pursuits and now have been granted an injunction against the Galaxy Tab 7.7.
The injunction is based on the same patents that Apple used to get the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned, forcing Samsung to redesign the tablet as the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. Clearly then, it would technically be simple enough for Samsung to refresh the exterior design of the 7.7 to get around the patent, but that will obviously be an inconvenience to the company and cost them money. It seems, then, that just inconveniencing Samsung and costing them money is Apple’s objective with these lawsuits, as they have also just requested $2.5 billion in damages from Samsung in a California case. They even helpfully break down the infringed patents, which include overscroll bounce, tapping to zoom and navigate, scrolling implementation, and trade dress infringement.
We’ve covered this kind of lawsuit many times before, but I think that these recent cases really underline what seem to be Apple’s true goals with the lawsuits. They are hardly in trouble due to Samsung’s products, and there’s no way that anyone who wanted an iPad would suddenly switch to the Galaxy Tab 7.7 just because it looks similar. Instead, it seems that Apple’s only goal here is to inconvenience Samsung, take their products off the shelves, and cost them money, hurting competition. Of course, maybe I’m being a bit too hard on Apple, but from what I read nearly every day it seems that they are currently out to destroy competitive companies, not protect their own ideas, and their latest patents have the potential to do quite a lot of harm.
[Android and Me]
