Steve Jobs Contacted Samsung in July, 2010 About Patent Infringement

[dgstorm]

According to reports, Apple's Steve Jobs personally contacted Samsung in July of 2010, in order to negotiate terms when Apple first suspected Samsung's Galaxy S devices were violating Apple patents. Here's a quote from the PhoneArena article with a few details,

These revelations come courtesy of Richard Lutton, who is a high-ranking director at Apple and its patent attorney. He also said that once the patent infringement talks between Apple and Samsung began, Steve ceased his involvement and left it to his legal department.

While responding to questions by Samsung's lawyer David Catterns, Mr Lutton noted that Steve Jobs's involvement was a simple courtesy call: “Samsung is an important supplier with whom we have a deep relationship. We wanted to give them a chance to do the right thing.”

Further industry intel indicates that Mr. Jobs was not directly involved in these negotiations, but was simply the "bearer of the olive-branch" to get negotiations started. Shortly after negotiations began, Samsung didn't agree with Apple's assessment of the situation, and felt that Apple was simply using their working relationship to pressure Samsung into compliance. This eventually led to the patent war that is going on now.

Source: Android.net via PhoneArena

 

[JohnnytheK]

So Samsung's ultimately to blame? Pride and arrogance? Kinda sad if true.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[johnomaz]

Wonder who Jobs contacted. Probably some entry level tech support person in India who had no idea who he was or what he was talking about. But hey, he called and I'm sure Apple's legal team will run miles with it.

 

[OneTenderRebel]

Wonder who Jobs contacted. Probably some entry level tech support person in India who had no idea who he was or what he was talking about. But hey, he called and I'm sure Apple's legal team will run miles with it.

yeah I'm sure that's it.................:icon_eek:

 

[UNC]

I wonder how the FANatics will spin this one?

Isn't it funny that the money that Apple pays Samsung for all the components they use was then used to advertise products that directly ripped off Apple?? Shouldn't Samsung have spent that money on their own R&D instead of blowing it* and then just sending one guy to the iPhone announcement with a pen-camera and a tape recorder????
In this twisted World Steve Jobs could get robbed at gunpoint by Eric Schmidt and people would say it's Jobs' fault!!!!


LOL!!!

 

[czerdrill]

Wonder who Jobs contacted. Probably some entry level tech support person in India who had no idea who he was or what he was talking about. But hey, he called and I'm sure Apple's legal team will run miles with it.

Or he actually called a higher up at Samsung and genuinely wanted to discuss licensing. But yeah, your scenario is probably just as likely...View attachment 40919

 

[kodiak799]

Ripped-off? Pretty harsh for a few similar looking icons. I somehow doubt people buy phones based on what a few icons look like.

I'm sure when Steve Jobs calls it's usually good news and something to look forward to. "Oh, I wonder what that prankster wants now...He's such a card!"

It's no olive branch when you call to negotiate a settlement over very questionable patent infringement to begin with. Kind of smells of "I've got a weak case, but let me see if I can extort you, anyway". And I don't fault the business practice, I just fail to see how this gives Steve Jobs the high ground or makes him out to be some sort of peacemaker. Nothing to read into about an offer to potentially discuss licensing without knowing if the terms were reasonable (obviously not, given this ended up in the courts, but that doesn't mean Apple was unreasonable any more than they weren't).

 

[pc747]

I dont know, there are people who bought the samsung galaxy phone just cause it looked like the iphone. And in China where a lot of things are copied to make knockoffs I can see Apple's point. As far as I am concerned its the jobs of the lawyers to handle litigation. Being I do not have a taped phone conversation for me to hear I can not say whether it was an olive branch or an extortion. I say we leave it for the courts to decide.

 

[UNC]

Ripped-off? Pretty harsh for a few similar looking icons. I somehow doubt people buy phones based on what a few icons look like.

I'm sure when Steve Jobs calls it's usually good news and something to look forward to. "Oh, I wonder what that prankster wants now...He's such a card!"

It's no olive branch when you call to negotiate a settlement over very questionable patent infringement to begin with. Kind of smells of "I've got a weak case, but let me see if I can extort you, anyway". And I don't fault the business practice, I just fail to see how this gives Steve Jobs the high ground or makes him out to be some sort of peacemaker. Nothing to read into about an offer to potentially discuss licensing without knowing if the terms were reasonable (obviously not, given this ended up in the courts, but that doesn't mean Apple was unreasonable any more than they weren't).

That is not harsh, it is true. In no way does Touchwiz look like ANY other OEM skin of Android!! It is a total "Hong Kong" special.

I have told this story many times and I will continue to do so, I told my best friend last Christmas that Verizon was about to get the iPhone, and he replied "Verizon already has iPhone" then he claimed he saw it at work. I was like, "nah that's a Samsung" and he SWORE up and down it was an iPhone... Then a few days later he says "oh yeah, it was a Samsung". My friend had an HTC Magic, and a Droid 1 before this took place, so he knows what Android looks like (probably more so than some people here). This is a fact, and the FACT that an android user couldn't tell the Samsung apart from the iPhone shows you that they are using the benefits of someone else's design (iOS) in order to get more sales.

If one person goes to VZW or AT&T and says "I want the iPhone, but the Galaxy S is so much cheaper and it's the same anyway" and chooses the Galaxy S than Apple is right and should be compensated.

This is for the cheap seats; The fact that Touchwiz looks NOTHING like any other OEM skin of Android, and is almost indistinguishable from Apple tells you what you need to know. (unless you don't want to know)


/rant

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

Im going with my common sense here, id say that a phone call from Steve Jobs is mandatory in that situation.. Billion dollar relationships dont end on the whim of a lower level employee. If theirs a problem that would effect this billion dollar relationship, I bet both the CEOs at least had a conversation about it if not multiple trying to sort out the situation. I don't think Apple even gave Samsung a potential out in this conversation though ( at least not a sensible one). "Hey, all your products look like mine, stop selling them or i will sue you" "Yea....um... no, thats going to ruin our mobile division." "Well i called you personally just to tell you your an important supplier with whom we have a deep relationship. We wanted to give you a chance to do the right thing but that doesn't look like it will happen." maybe even a "i really wish you would comply with our demand and just stop selling your Android devices and to focus on producing parts for the iDevices. Android sucks anyway." (haha maybe not that last part but i bet i got the gist of the conversation.) I kinda dont see this as news though, as this already happened in my mind when Apple sued Samsung (As companies in partnership don't just throw lawyers at each other, they normally try to just work with eachother since its mutually beneficial to both parties.).

 

[tjk629]

So Samsung's ultimately to blame? Pride and arrogance? Kinda sad if true.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't be surprised. Not to sound racist but Asian companies are super protective of their high end products.

Kind of reminds me back when the game Dead or Alive first came out. Namco (Tekken) called it a Virtua Fighter rip off. Itagaki took it personally and would trash talk Tekken whenever he could.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums

 

[pc747]

That is not harsh, it is true. In no way does Touchwiz look like ANY other OEM skin of Android!! It is a total "Hong Kong" special.

I have told this story many times and I will continue to do so, I told my best friend last Christmas that Verizon was about to get the iPhone, and he replied "Verizon already has iPhone" then he claimed he saw it at work. I was like, "nah that's a Samsung" and he SWORE up and down it was an iPhone... Then a few days later he says "oh yeah, it was a Samsung". My friend had an HTC Magic, and a Droid 1 before this took place, so he knows what Android looks like (probably more so than some people here). This is a fact, and the FACT that an android user couldn't tell the Samsung apart from the iPhone shows you that they are using the benefits of someone else's design (iOS) in order to get more sales.

If one person goes to VZW or AT&T and says "I want the iPhone, but the Galaxy S is so much cheaper and it's the same anyway" and chooses the Galaxy S than Apple is right and should be compensated.

This is for the cheap seats; The fact that Touchwiz looks NOTHING like any other OEM skin of Android, and is almost indistinguishable from Apple tells you what you need to know. (unless you don't want to know)


/rant

View attachment 40920


I must admit when I saw the SGS out of china for the first time I thought some one was pulling a copy job. I basically thought some guy over seas did a good job copying iphone and slapping android over it. If it was just one item I would have to say coincidence. But then samsung has a "samsung galaxy "player" to compete with the ipod touch ..I have to say someone is trying to pull a job, they are making items to look as much like the i-products as possible with out getting sued.

 

[kodiak799]

From the article, it also sounds as though Jobs made only a token gesture and then "turned it over to the lawyers". That's not particularly how you would act hoping to avoid the courts or to work-out a licensing deal. CEO's don't directly remove themselves from negotiations with key suppliers involving multi-billion dollar contracts. He made the token gesture, but I would guess the intent/goal was always to block production, which is why the lawyers were allowed to run with it. When you want to get a deal done, you keep the lawyers out of it, other than to write-up the terms.

 

[sbenson]

It's simple. Steve Jobs thought the iPhone would rule the world of smartphones. Instead, Android came along and completely demolished Apple's market share and thus has left them grasping for straws. Steve Jobs and all Apple fanboys need to realize that Android is and will be for a long time, the dominant OS. These flaky lawsuits are not going to slow Android down and are only making Apple look like whiners in the process. Apple is crazy if they think they can patent a shape. Damn ridiculous.

 

[kodiak799]

That is not harsh, it is true. In no way does Touchwiz look like ANY other OEM skin of Android!! It is a total "Hong Kong" special.

I disagree. Apple can't claim exclusive rights to a thin rectangle. Outside of a few icons their claim is BS.

I'm not - and most people aren't - particularly tuned into the form factor and aesthetics of the phone and can't tell many phones apart on the surface without looking closely side-by-side. Black or silver border around a screen all look pretty similar to me.