back to article Samsung drops five European anti-Apple injunction requests

Samsung has withdrawn its request for injunctions to ban sales of Apple's iDevices in five European countries. "Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court," …

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  1. johnnymotel
    Alert

    Eu investigations

    No mention that Samsung is being investigated by th eu for abuse of FRAND rates?

    1. LarsG

      Doing it for the consumer?

      Yeah right, you mean dong it for the bottom line and profit you mean.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Doing it for the consumer?

        They realised they hadn't been in the news for a day, so thought they needed make some PR.

      2. nuked
        Holmes

        Re: Doing it for the consumer?

        Bottom line is profit, but regardless, if you mean they're doing it to make money for their shareholders, which probably includes quite a few thousand pension funds, then yes, I imagine they are. Welcome to Capitalism. It makes the world go round.

        1. toadwarrior
          FAIL

          Re: Doing it for the consumer?

          That is the biggest steaming pile I've ever heard. I'm sure they're doing it for people and their pensions and it has nothing to do with the EU looking into them abusing their FRAND patents.

          1. nuked

            Re: Doing it for the consumer?

            I was simply replying to the previous comment which implies that making profit is some sort of dirty practice.

            But don't let my unrelated observation stop you from making the same point again, probably for a third time...

      3. Mark .

        Re: Doing it for the consumer?

        Yeah, pursuing profits by innovation and competing in the market, and not the courtroom, unlike a certain other company. Heaven forbid, how dare they!

        (And of course, once again we see that making a profit is bad when any other company do it, but when Apple do it, it's a reason to praise them.)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Doing it for the consumer?

          Ahh so copying is now innovation, the only reason Samsung droped those cases is because it knew it would get bitch slaped, or did you forget that Samsung is under investigation for anticompetative behaviour on 3 continents, not Apple.

          Now get back to your day job at Samsung and tell them your not good at trolling.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Doing it for the consumer?

            Seriously... ...tempted... ...grammar... ...spelling... ...rant...

            But no, managed to file it under "too easy".

  2. Slap

    A step forward?

    I wonder if Apple will follow suit - highly doubtful, but I still wonder.

    Perhaps the big guys have finally realised that a furball of litigation actually does damage to the public's perception of the companies involved.

    I'm all for IP to be recognised, but some of these patents that the lawsuits are based on are so obvious it would be like taking me to court for failing to pay somebody a license fee for performing pressure sensitive gestures with a piece of graphite to create letters.

    1. Joseph Lord
      FAIL

      Re: A step forward?

      Which standards essential patents was Apple asking for a injunction on in the first place?

      Apple following suit would have absolutely no effect as they would drop precisely zero actions to match Samsung.

      Samsung is still going to ask for injunctions on non standards essential patents AND demand licensing fees on the standards essential patents AND will still ask for injunctions outside Europe even on standards essential patents.

      Well done EU commission!

  3. Arctic fox
    Megaphone

    "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

    I would not be at all surprised if Cupertino decided to settle with Samsung for rather less than the one billion that that joke of a jury awarded them. Despite what a particular section of their supporters might hope or believe Judge Koh cannot in fact stop Samsung appealing the case higher if they choose to do so. That might very well have considerable consequences as I am quite sure Apple's lawyers have already advised their clients. The issue is whether Cupertino have the brains to sweeten the pot sufficiently in any negotiations that may, or may not, be going on. Koh's refusal to allow Apple to use the judgement to shut Samsung out of the US market is significant and more of a defeat for Apple and SJ's "nuclear war strategy" than might be obvious at first reading. It is now simply a matter of bickering over how much loose change Apple will be able to boast that they got as a result of that fatuous trial. The judge in this instance realised that she could not support Apple's underlying strategy - an embargo against Samsung's products.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

      Could be likely, after all if you shoved a lump of coal up Samsungs ass you will have a diamond in a week.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

        Up Samsung's ASS? Where can I buy one like that? No wonder Jesus rode one into Jerusalem. When it brays, does it spit emeralds? Could solve Greece's problems: import cheap, Chinese coal, feed it to their asses.

    2. Steve Crook

      Re: "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

      You may be right. Perhaps both companies have realised that there's little point in continuing with this as, eventually, nothing will be settled, and the only winners will be the lawyers. What does concern me is that these two deciding to have a truce will leave them free to kick the shit out of any smaller, poorer rival who looks to be eating into their market share.

      Even if peace breaks out, we've still got the batshit US patents office prepared to accept filings that are plainly intended to hinder competition and providing ammunition for another stupid war.

    3. a_been

      Re: "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

      I'd be very surprised if there was any backroom deal over those FRAND patents. Motorola did the exact same thing then backed down and agreed to offer FRAND terms to Microsoft. Now that Samsung having given up trying to use it's FRAND patents to seek an injunction the only thing to argue over if if Apple already has a license due to buying the parts from Qualcomm. There won't be an argumeant over money as Apple has already agreed to pay a FRAND fee to everyone who owns the FRAND patents it needs; So if it get's to trial then the first piece of evidence Apple will introduce will be how much Samsung charges everyone else for it's FRAND patents. That's almost case over as to how much Samsung can ask for.

      Samsung could ask for interest but it would be cheaper just to get the accountants in a room for an hour than pay the outside lawyers more than the difference would be. I would not be surprised if in the next week we hear a joint annocmeant over a FRAND rate just to make the case simpler, faster and cheeper. Samsung v Apple could be over by Christmass if not for Qualcomm as that's all that is left and that part looked as dodgy as seeking the injunction.

      Will Apple v Samsung be setteled anytime soon, NOPE. Neither will give up for different reasons. Apple would offer Samsung the same kind of deal Microsoft and HTC got, that is "No cloaning" as Apple thinks it's brand is worth a lot; iirc it was in 2nd or 3rd place, valued at over $50 billion (Coca-Cola was #1). Samsung won't take that as one of the three pillars of it's mobile strategy is "copy Apple" and that's been insanly successful; Remember for 2010, just under 2 years ago Nokia was selling more smartphones than Apple, RIMM and Samsung combined (before it partnered with Microsoft, so 98% Symbian, which has only been overtaken by Android and IOS in installed base in the last 12 months).

      What we have is a case where Apple has to much to lose and Samsung has to much to gain to settle until at least the stuff in the USA has been sorted, probably 2014. If Samsung lose and has to pay $3-4 billion extra, well that just cost of business. At the rate Samsung are taking all the profit from Android, in a couple of years time that may just be 1 quarters profits from the mobile division. All they have to do then is partner with Intel, ie agree to Intels "all you can spend Gold, now please use Atom". Buy the husk of Nokia for Navteq, by far the best mapping provider; cut a deal with Microsoft to use bing and call it Samsung serch and in the meantime improve Bada hich is alread outselling all of Microsofts phone OS's combined.

      1. Philip Lewis
        Coat

        Re: "wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's more than a little back-room wrangling going on."

        "Bada, the quiet achiever"

        (o.k. I stole that slogan, but the last line of the OP is telling, and I have read it elsewhere)

  4. JaitcH
    Meh

    Samsung doesn/t need to copy anything

    Samsung has amply demonstrated it is capable of taking on Cupertino - just look at the sales figures.

    Unlike Apple, Samsung's incremental improvements between versions are considerable whereas the Version 4 to 5 was a an abject failure, especially when you take into account the Crappy Mappy app.

    I guess Cook will check out new / upgraded products personally next time.

    Th biggest advantage Samsung has is that it owns it's manufacturing facilities, it's engineers get feedback from their colleagues. This makes a big difference, as the scratched rear cases on iThingy 4 prove.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      iThingy 5 JaitcH

      get it right when you rant.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Samsung doesn/t need to copy anything

      "This makes a big difference, as the scratched rear cases on iThingy 4 prove."

      Since both companies use foxcomm for assenbly, that proves nothing. BTW what are these "sales figures" you talk about, Apple releases it's sales figures, Samsung dosn't, they have now moved how they report profit by division so it's even harder to work out what's happening in mobile.

      Here is a clue, if you are doing well; you don't have to hide it. Even when Apple were on the ropes they didn't hide the numbers; Samsung, well who knows.

  5. Androgynous Crackwhore
    Headmaster

    For the love of God...

    ...what have they done to manoeuvres?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shamsung are no do gooders

    but the PR spin is to be expected.

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