The Apple/Samsung battle doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon, even though an Australian judge called the suit "ridiculous". According to Computer World, Samsung accusing Apple of refusing to negotiate the licensing of key 3G patents that were used in production of iPhones and iPads. These claims come on the first day of trial in a countersuit that Samsung filed against Apple last year, after Apple had sued Samsung for infringement on patents in the touchscreen technology used in the Galaxy tablet. Samsung's counterattack focuses on three specific patents, all which deal with 3G data transmission in the iPhone 4/4S and the iPad 2.
The charges against Apple include the violation of power control, the format of packet headers, and rate matching patterns, all used in 3G data transmissions. Today the court dealt with two of the three patents: Australian patents No. 2005202512 and No. 2006241621. The court will reconvene in August, regarding the third patent, No. 2005239657.
It was just a couple years ago, that Apple and Samsung had a non-negative relationship. It wasn't until Apple filed a suit against Samsung in California last year, with claims of iPad copycatting by the Galaxy tablet. Samsung claims that they previously attempted to negotiate the licensing of the patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, but were shown no reciprocating interest by Apple.
This eventually added fuel to the flame in the Apple vs. Samsung patent war, branching through several continents, including countries like the UK, Australia, Germany, the US, etc.
Notably, Apple recently won two suits against Samsung in the US, one banning the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 tablet, and the other against sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone running Google's Android OS.
Earlier this month, a judge in the UK ruled against Apple, claiming that Samsung tablets do not infringe on the iPad design because "they are not as cool" as Apple's iPad, and thus wouldn't be confused by consumers. The judge also claimed that Samsung's tablets are not nearly as simple as the iPad, thus differentiating them even further. While this may be a win for Samsung, it really isn't saying much about its products.
In Walter Issacson's biography on Steve Jobs, Jobs is quoted saying that he will go "thermonuclear" against any copycat products. If that is true to what Apple is trying to do, then this is just the beginning of what will be a long and tough battle between Apple, Samsung, and any other copycat technologies.
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