Apple has filed a motion to drop a cross-appeal in the seemingly eternal patent battle between the Cupertino-based tech giant and rival Samsung, as noted today by FOSS Patents.
As the appeals process drags on, Apple has decided to let go of certain points and accept the court’s rulings. In this case, Apple has decided not to seek an injunction against certain Samsung devices from its first trial in 2012. Apple has already tried to get an injunction against these devices twice in the past, but was denied both times.
Don’t get too excited though: the entire legal process is still far from over. Samsung is still trying to have the original jury verdict overturned, and Apple is still seeking injunctions against some devices from the second trial, which took place earlier this year. It will be quite some time before we finally see an end to the dispute between these two companies.
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At the pace that these proceedings move, by the time anything substantial happens those devices are so old that there’s no real point in chasing after an injunction, aside from the “moral” implications. The patent system is in need of reform as these court proceedings dragging on have proven. These companies, Apple included, probably waste more on attorney fees than they ever did on the infringing IP theft. It’s a sad cycle that goes on and on as the glacial pace of the court system just prolongs it and just leads to appeals and other proceedings. Hopefully, one day relatively soon, these cases won’t be so prevalent and all these companies can focus on innovating and creating awesome products.
I think that the shear size of the market for these devices has the judges on edge. The real power seems to come from the ITC, who have the power to ban imports of infringing products. As for moving on to innovating, Apple’s strong stance against patent infringement should be inspiring to us all. Imagine how many start-ups wouldn’t get a single sent in angel investment if they didn’t have some way to prevent competitors from simply copying their inventions? Would Apple have purchased the small start-up, Fingerworks, if they could have simply copied their finger gesture technology?
“cent” not “sent”
This further helps Samsung build resistance to future lawsuits like a super-bacteria. The courts have further demonstrated that patents aren’t honored and therefore soulless Asian companies can continue their rip-off products since they can’t develop anything natively themselves.
Let’s not forget, Sammy, that Apple was also found to have infringed.
Maybe apple should beef up its policies so you can’t make up bank codes and walk away with arms full of merchandise. Lol