the patent battle between Samsung and apple has opened a new round. Both sides have recently filed their own claims with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to expel the other party's infringing products from the U.S. market.
Yesterday, according to foreign media disclosure, Samsung insisted in a document submitted to ITC that Apple infringed the No. 7706248 patent on UMTS technology. The technology appears on some iPhones and iPads that use Infineon communication chips and have cellular technology. Just recently, ITC Judge Thomas Pendel said in a preliminary ruling that Samsung infringed a key part of an Apple patent by including a text selection feature in smartphones and tablets.
The demands of both sides directly point to the other side's control of the U.S. market, but industry insiders point out that Samsung's action is obviously weaker than Apple's. due to technical reasons, even if Samsung's request takes effect, it will squeeze out Apple's old products at most, while Apple directly wants to kill Samsung's Galaxy S4, which has not yet been sold globally.
According to media reports, although Samsung's application documents have repeatedly reiterated its right of 'standard basic patent', it also clearly stated that based on the current configuration of iPhone 4 (CDMA version), iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2 (CDMA version), iPad (third generation and fourth generation) and ipad Mini, they will not be subject to import ban or stop order. So even if ITC agrees to Samsung's request, only the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 may be restricted. In addition, in view of the current IOS device cycle, sales of the first generation iPhone have stopped for two years, so even if the sales ban takes effect, it is difficult to reach Apple's mobile phone lineup. Analysts believe that ITC is unlikely to issue a sales ban, and even if it does, it will only have an impact on low-end Apple devices and the company's after-sales service business.
On the other hand, Apple's attack is particularly sharp. Recently, ITC Judge Thomas Pendel said in a preliminary ruling that Samsung infringed a key part of an Apple patent by including a text selection function in smartphones and tablets. All members of the ITC will evaluate pander's ruling to decide whether to support or reverse the judge's ruling. ITC is expected to rule on the case in August. If ITC finds that Samsung has indeed infringed Apple's patent, a number of products, including Samsung Galaxy S4, will be banned from entering the U.S. market. Apple made it clear that Samsung products that infringed the patent included galaxy, transform and nexus devices. According to Apple's complaint in 2011, Samsung's smartphones and tablets infringed its patents.
Behind the battle between Samsung and apple is the intense competition in the global tablet market. According to the latest analysis report of Gartner, a global technology research and consulting company, global PC, tablet PC and mobile phone shipments will reach 2.4 billion in 2013, an increase of 9% compared with 2012. In an interview with reporters yesterday, Gartner said that the prosperity of low-cost tablets and their growing capabilities are accelerating the market shift from personal computers to tablets.
Carolina milanesi, vice president of research at Gartner, said: 'as consumers switch from PCs to tablets and smartphones, they no longer see their PCs as devices that have to be replaced on a regular basis. '