Larry Magid: Trade Commission Bans Some Samsung Phones, Tablets
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Samsung will not be allowed to import certain smartphones and tablets, following a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday.
The commission ruled that the devices violate Apple patents. Samsung smartphones and tablets with the Android operating system are affected because Apple claimed their iOS operating system was infringed upon with regards to the iPhone and the iPad.
Friday's ruling is part of an ongoing issue that we've been talking about for more than a year now. Apple had already won a $1 billion judgment against Samsung.
Trade Commission Rules Against Samsung In Case Vs. Apple
But this battle goes beyond just Apple and Samsung and really speaks to the nature of the tech sector going forward.
In many ways I think that Apple's gripe is really with Google and Android, but Samsung is the biggest player in the game as far as competition goes. It's hard to believe some of the things they're arguing over, including rounded corners. Who knew that rounded corners on a cell phone could be patented?
At the end of the day, they're looking at how Apple arguably pioneered the smartphone as we know it. These rulings, however, have to do with a lot of older Samsung devices, so it doesn't mean that Samsung is going out of business. They still have plenty of devices that aren't impacted by these rulings.
Hopefully, these court battles will stop and we'll see more competition in the marketplace where we all get to vote with our dollars. These rulings and proceedings keep the lawyers happy and rich, but it doesn't do much for the consumers.
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