Samsung to file appeal vs. Apple in Germany

German media critical of court’s ban on sale of Samsung Galaxy tablet


Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s second-biggest mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday it will file an appeal this week in a bid to overturn the latest German court ruling that bans sales of its tablet computer Galaxy Tab.

Samsung’s move comes after a flurry of projections have been made about the global patent saga involving the world’s largest technology firms including Apple, Google and Motorola.

The recent spat between Samsung and Apple is showing no sign of truce or compromise; as Samsung is determined to fight it to the end in a German court, the battle is expected to drag on for months amid intensifying competition to claim patent rights on the cutting-edge technologies that bolster today’s smartphones and tablet computers.

The slow-paced court procedure in Germany means that Samsung is unlikely to resume sales of Galaxy Tab before the crucial Christmas shopping season starts.
Last week, a Dusseldorf, Germany court finalized a ruling that bans the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the country for copying Apple’s iPad. The ruling, which came after a similar one in The Hague on Aug. 21 in connection with three Samsung phones, spawned a flood of news reports worldwide, mostly suggesting that Samsung might face an uphill battle in expanding its fledging tablet business into key markets, especially Europe.

The showdown between Samsung and Apple has many intriguing aspects for industry watchers and analysts, one of which is that the two represent the two dominant mobile platforms intent on capturing an initiative in the shift from personal computers to portable yet high-powered devices such as Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

Samsung represents the Android camp, a mobile operating system developed by Google, while Apple is trying to tighten its lead on the newly developed mobile ecosystem showcased by its App Store, iTunes and sophisticated hardware lineups.

The confrontation between Samsung and Apple has been complicated further as the two have maintained cooperative relations in the chip business. Foreign media led by the Financial Times suggested that Apple might find itself restricted in taking its chip business to Samsung’s competitors in Taiwan, noting that Samsung’s complete offerings of components are hard to beat at this point.

The Korean press, meanwhile, carried articles on Wednesday claiming that German news media criticized the Dusseldorf court’s decision as a move that defends only the patent rights holders, thereby hindering innovation in the rapidly evolving IT industry.

Germany’s news channel NTV is said to have questioned the court ruling’s fairness and FAZ, a leading newspaper, was also allegedly critical of the outcome, showing a sympathetic stance toward Samsung.

Samsung released the new Galaxy Tab in the U.S., Korea and other Asian countries starting in June this year, and the tablet computer powered by the Android system is the most competent rival yet to Apple’s iPad.

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldcorp.com)