Samsung Claiming Small Victory Amidst Euro Ban

By Sarbartha/ August 29th, 2011/ Posted in: Hot News 0 comment

It was recently released that Samsung, one of the world’s leading producers of mobile phones and other technologies, has been banned from selling any its Galaxy phones. This was a part of an injunction that started in the Netherlands and quickly followed suit in many other European countries after Apple filed a patent infringement claim against the company and accused Samsung of copying technology that is owed by Apple. More specifically, the lawsuit relates to the way photos are displayed on the Galaxy mobile device. It appears that Samsung is, strangely enough, viewing this most recent news as a victory and says that this legal maneuvering by Apple shows that Samsung is gaining ground in the mobile market.

This cell phone embargo will take place in just under two months and will remain in effect until the legal issue is settled. The embargo was upheld by a district court in the Hague and supports Apple’s claim that some of the interface and viewing features for navigating through photos has been stolen. This relates more specifically to the touchscreen phones that Samsung has produced. Though there were several patent issues that Apple brought before the judge, only this one was successful in establishing a case. The court isn’t saying that Apple is right. This will be decided in court and many of these other claims have already been refuted.

It’s not at all surprising that this legal battle is taking place. Samsung’s photo management software, the one being called into question, is part of the Google Android operating system. Google has been making great strides lately and is becoming the top competitor against Apple. This is just the most recent legal battle between the Telecom companies over creative property. Samsung is saying that this is just another example of the aggressive campaign of litigation that Apple is pursuing.

Many companies have found themselves in court with Apple, as well as each other, over who has the right to do what. There’s a lot of money to be made in the mobile industry, and Samsung has taken a “glass-half-full” perspective on the most recent lawsuit arguing that this is less about what they’re doing wrong and has everything to do with what they’re doing right.

Samsung is welcoming this legal battle and released a statement saying, “Today’s ruling is an affirmation that the Galaxy range of products is innovative and distinctive.” The company wants to stress that this will, in no way, affect the sales and distribution of its other products and services. As a side note, the Samsung tablet, The Galaxy Tab, was not mentioned in the lawsuit and will not likely be subject to any legal embargoes.

Samsung is vehemently stressing that they’re going to fight this ruling as high as it has to go and believes that the case against them is weak. Samsung also stated, “With regard to the single infringement cited in the ruling, we will take all possible measures including legal action to ensure that there is no disruption in the availability of our Galaxy smartphones to Dutch consumers.”

Some believe that this move is more of an act of desperation on the part of Apple as it’s grip on the mobile market seems to be slipping. According to market figures, Online surveys, and customer input, the Android market and other companies are making phones that are better and increasingly comparable to Apple’s products. The company came out with touch-devices that were highly innovative, and now that the market is catching up, Apple is going to have to stay on its toes.