UK Judges Tell Apple To Rewrite Samsung Apology
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Apple’s not a company who likes to admit defeat or fault, and only does so in the most extreme of circumstances: For instance, when their new maps service turned into the Internet Joke du jour or when their hometown threatened to stop buying their computers.
So, when a British court upheld a ruling which forced Apple into publicly admitting defeat in a case of patent infringement between themselves and Samsung, they did so begrudgingly and with all the wit and passive aggression you’d expect from an Apple scorned.
The UK court didn’t think Apple’s little stunt was very cute, and has now ordered the iPad maker to remove their statement and rewrite it.
Cleverly posted on the first day iPad minis were available for preorder, Apple made a point to cherry pick the best parts of their lost case against Samsung in their public admission on their UK site. For instance, the Cupertino company quoted, word-for-magnificent-word, one Judge’s observations of the differences between Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Apple’s iPad.
“The extreme simplicity of the Apple design is striking. Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back…The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design.”
The Judge’s comments go on, and Apple couldn’t help themselves: “(Samsung does not) have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool.”
The UK Judges, as one might expect, found Apple’s actions to be outside of the spirit of the ruling.
“I’m at a loss that a company such as Apple would do this,” said Judge Robin Jacob in a statement. “That is a plain breach of the order.”
It’s likely these judges took offense to Apple’s closing remarks in their “apology.”
After admitting that the UK court’s judgment affects the whole of the EU, Apple went on to mention some other cases in which the courts ruled in their favor.
They also mentioned that little spat between the two companies in the US this summer which resulted in a $1.3 billion payout to Apple.
“So while the UK court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple’s far more popular iPad.”
Apple didn’t only anger the British Judges. Samsung’s legal team was also unhappy with Apple’s actions, saying this notice created the “impression that the UK court is out of step with other courts.”
Apple’s legal team defended the statement, saying the ruling was not “designed to punish” or make them “grovel.”
“I would like to see the head of Apple make an affidavit setting out the technical difficulties which means Apple can’t put this on” Apple.com, said Judge Jacob.
“I just can’t believe the instructions you’ve been given. This is Apple. They cannot put something on their website?”
redOrbit.com
offers Science, Space, Technology, Health news, videos, images and
reference information. For the latest science news, space news,
technology news, health news visit redOrbit.com frequently. Learn
something new every day.\”
2012-11-02 07:20:24
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112724616/apple-samsung-uk-apology-110212/
Source:
