In yet another patent violation case between Apple and Samsung, a court ruled that Samsung was indeed guilty of violating Apple's "quick links" patent as well as its autocorrect patent, though it found Samsung not guilty of violating several other patents, including "universal search", "background sync", and only partially guilty of violating "slide to unlock". On the other hand, Apple was found guilty of violating "one of Samsung's video transmission patents with the FaceTime video-calling feature" (BusinessInsider).
I think it is important that we closely examine what this series of Apple and Samsung cases means for the patent system and how it needs to change. First of all, there have been countless cases between these two companies, which have indicated that they have both been guilty of violating each other's intellectual property rights. I believe this means that the court ought to examine whether each company is actually "stealing" ideas or merely building off of existing products to move the smartphone industry towards the future at an ever faster rate. After all, it is undeniable that smartphone invention has transformed the way we use mobile devices and that the innovation from these two companies is spurred by their competitive spirit.
Secondly, both companies are continuing to be wildly successful and their products are extremely popular on the market, regardless of the outcomes of these cases. This brings up an important question about the conflict between competition and IP protection in the smartphone industry. If both companies are benefitting the market by creating new, innovative designs, and both companies continue to profit from that, then it would make sense that the courts ought to reexamine their reason for granting patents based on these inventions, since ultimately patent violation and not patent protection is what is bringing about innovation.
It is clear that these companies are merely using the mask of intellectual property as an opportunity to undermine their competition and gain a competitive edge. That, in my opinion, is sufficient reason to change the way that patents are granted, taking into account the impact they will have on competition and on the market as a whole.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-beats-samsung-in-latest-patent-trial-2014-5
I think it is important that we closely examine what this series of Apple and Samsung cases means for the patent system and how it needs to change. First of all, there have been countless cases between these two companies, which have indicated that they have both been guilty of violating each other's intellectual property rights. I believe this means that the court ought to examine whether each company is actually "stealing" ideas or merely building off of existing products to move the smartphone industry towards the future at an ever faster rate. After all, it is undeniable that smartphone invention has transformed the way we use mobile devices and that the innovation from these two companies is spurred by their competitive spirit.
Secondly, both companies are continuing to be wildly successful and their products are extremely popular on the market, regardless of the outcomes of these cases. This brings up an important question about the conflict between competition and IP protection in the smartphone industry. If both companies are benefitting the market by creating new, innovative designs, and both companies continue to profit from that, then it would make sense that the courts ought to reexamine their reason for granting patents based on these inventions, since ultimately patent violation and not patent protection is what is bringing about innovation.
It is clear that these companies are merely using the mask of intellectual property as an opportunity to undermine their competition and gain a competitive edge. That, in my opinion, is sufficient reason to change the way that patents are granted, taking into account the impact they will have on competition and on the market as a whole.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-beats-samsung-in-latest-patent-trial-2014-5
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