Tim Cook memo leak
The recent court ruling on coming down on the side of Apple in the Apple vs Samsung case is a very significant landmark. It sets a huge precedence that’s going to echo through the smartphone industry as a whole.
A total of 5 of Apple’s patent claims were upheld, these included:
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Some of Samsung’s handsets, including its Galaxy S 4G model, infringed Apple’s design patents for the look of its iPhone including the system it uses to display text and icons
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All the disputed Samsung devices had copied Apple’s "bounce-back response", which makes lists jump back as if yanked by a rubber band
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Several Samsung devices incorporated Apple’s facility allowing users to zoom into text with a tap of a finger
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Pinch and pull with two fingers on the display in order to zoom in/out
Following the Apple victory, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, issued a memo which 9to5mac were able to get hold of a copy of:
Today was an important day for Apple and for innovators everywhere.
Many of you have been closely following the trial against Samsung in San Jose for the past few weeks. We chose legal action very reluctantly and only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying our work. For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the jury who invested their time in listening to our story. We were thrilled to finally have the opportunity to tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than we knew.
The jury has now spoken. We applaud them for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.
I am very proud of the work that each of you do.
Today, values have won and I hope the whole world listens.
Tim
Apple had wanted $2.5bn in damages. Samsung had sought $519m.
It may also seek to use this ruling to block other devices powered by Google’s Android software that it believes replicate elements of its user-interface, including current models by Samsung as well as other firms.
Samsung said that they will appeal.
Posted by: Matt
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