A federal judge has forced Samsung to show Apple five of its unreleased mobile devices, adding fuel to the patent litigation raging between the two companies.
copyright lawsuit against Samsung, Judge Lucy Koh ruled last week that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company can sneak a peak at some of Samsung's new devices in order to check for possible copyright infringement. The list of soon-to-be scrutinized tablets and phones include the Galaxy S2, Galaxy Tabs 8.9 and10.1, as well as the Infuse 4G and 4G LTE.The court has not yet expressed an official opinion on the case, but the judge pointed out that evidence so far has laid a foundation for the case that Samsung may have indeed mimicked Apple's designs.
"Apple has produced images of Samsung products and other evidence that provide a reasonable basis for Apple's belief that Samsung's new products are designed to mimic Apple's products," Koh said.
Fortunately for Samsung, only Apple's legal team will get to play with its phones and tablets, so no one from 1 Infinite Loop will be able to see the rival devices. The Galaxy S2 and Infuse 4G are already on sale in the U.K. and U.S., so Samsung is really only giving up three secrets.
Koh's judgment is still good news for Apple though, which sued Samsung on April 18 for allegedly violating copyright law. Getting the chance to inspect Samsung's products legitimizes Apple's complaint, even though an official decision has yet to be reached.
Apple maintains the South Korean company "slavishly copied" its iPad and iPod designs, an accusation Samsung promptly denied by suing Apple for doing the same thing to its products.
This litigious cycle is nothing new for Apple, which has sued everyone from Microsoft and Motorola to Nokia and HTC, trying to stake out its patent territory. In the fast-paced tech world, it's become increasingly vital for companies to guard their trademarks lest others steal and market them, as Apple alleges has happened with Samsung's devices.
While their lawyers battle, however, the two technology giants still maintain a relationship behind the lines. Samsung supplies Apple with much-needed LCD panels and semiconductors for its iPhones and iPads, while Apple is Samsung's biggest customer and source of revenue. In light of Apple's four- to five-week delays in iPad 2 production, it will need Samsung's manufacturing cooperation if it wants to stay on schedule.
If things heat up too much in court, it's possible Samsung and Apple's "frenemy" relationship could slowly deteriorate into a full-blown war. Until then, however, the companies need each other too much to let even a federal judgment come between them.
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