With the way that the big tech firms are acting, it is easy to mistake them for professional fighters getting ready to fight in a battle royal. The posturing, the accusations, and the viciousness all smack of puffed up wrestlers. However, these companies are very serious about the lawsuits and accusations. One of the recent examples is the battle between Samsung and Apple. Apple asserts that the phones and tablets that Samsung has on the market are too similar to the iPad and the iPhone. Apple is suing them for infringement.
What’s At Stake with the Lawsuit?
The two companies are the largest phone manufacturers in the world, so it is no wonder that they are at odds. Each is the others’ greatest competition in this arena. The court battle is going to cause some damage for one of the companies, and Apple is seeking $2.5 billion in damages for what they say is damage to their business. They attest that the new tablet from Samsun looks far too similar to the iPad. Apple believes that it was no mere coincidence that the appearance is so close.
On the other side, Samsung says that they did not take ideas from Apple, and they are in turn accusing Apple of infringing on their tech patents. Samsung steps back in time and touts that they had mobile phone technology in the works 20 years ago, and that Apple would never have developed a successful iPhone without them. They believe that Apple simply wants to make Samsung look bad and to eliminate some of their biggest competition.
What’s going to happen in the trial? It’s hard to say, but they believe that the case will be over by the end of summer, or the early part of autumn. We will know then how the case pans out, but one thing is certain; someone is going to lose big. This is going to be an interesting case to watch.
Can They Get Along?
This is business, and the chance of these large firms coming to an agreement is so slim it’s invisible. They certainly aren’t the only companies that are fighting it out in court. Microsoft, Google, Motorola, and just about every other large name in technology seem to be embroiled in at least one legal battle right now. They all have so much at stake, that it’s unlikely that you will see much handshaking in the future.
