As opening statements began in the latest legal tussle over whether Samsung has unlawfully copied Apple products, Samsung summarized its argument with this surprisingly gracious zinger.
“The iPhone was an inspiring product to everyone,” the Korean company’s attorneys told a federal courtroom in San Jose Tuesday. “Being inspired by a product is called competition. it’s not copying.”
Previously, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny had argued that Samsung’s move to iPhone-like touchscreen phones was not coincidental. “Whenever a customer sees an electronic device with these characteristics, they think they are seeing an Apple product,” McElhinny said.
Apple’s lawyers also claimed that Samsung’s own internal documents would show a decision to move in a touchscreen direction. But Samsung countered that this alone would not prove Apple’s patents had been breached pointing out that Apple itself was inspired by the design decisions of Sony.
The patent trial is one of several currently underway around the world, as the two tech giants battle it out over whose patents are more relevant to their smartphones and tablets. Apple has said that it wants $2.5 billion from Samsung as part of any settlement.
