Samsung and Apple Headed Towards Major Smackdown
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We’ve been following the escalating conflict between Apple and Samsung, and now it’s taken a turn for the worse. Last week, Apple filed another patent lawsuit against Samsung in South Korea, once again claiming that Samsung had copied the design of the iPhone 3G. And there is absolutely no disputing that Samsung’s Galaxy line bears a strong resemblance to Apple products.
Yesterday, Samsung responded by filing a complaint against Apple with the International Trade Commission (ITC), asking for ITC secretary James Holbein to investigate “certain mobile electronic devices, incluing wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, and tablet computers.”
By filing with the ITC, Samsung is requesting an import ban against the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. This could happen if the ITC decides that a patent is being infringed, and Florian Muller of Foss Patents believes that it’s highly likely that the ITC will proceed with the investigation against Apple.
The court has up to 18 months to make a decision on Samsung’s request. Apple has not responded by filing their own ITC complaint, but it seems like a logical next step Samsung’s request.
So far, Samsung is still making chips that are used in Apple’s products, but with rumors abounding that Apple’s going to change suppliers, that may soon be at an end. It looks like the death of a long manufacturing relationship is imminent.
