The patent war between Samsung and iPhone has been going on for years. The rivalry between the market giants has been going on ever since smartphones were first introduced.
Both have been at each other’s necks for who makes the better smartphone, and the battle has been ignited again after the Wall Street Journal published a documentary. The film recollects the past fifteen years of the iPhone in which Joanna Stern interviews top Apple executives, including those who have already left the company.
When asked how Samsung’s competitiveness affected Apple in the early day of the iPhone, the executive said, “Annoying, And they were annoying because, as you know, they ripped off our technology. They took the innovations that we had created and created a poor copy of it, and just put a bigger screen around it. So yeah, we were none too pleased.”
Apple sued Samsung for patent infringement, alleging that the company copied iPhone’s design with its own Galaxy line of smartphones, back in 2011. Apple was initially awarded around $1 billion in damages, but the amount was lowered in a subsequent retrial.
In 2018, Apple finally had its way with Samsung by releasing the following statement:
“We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.
We're grateful to the jury for their service and pleased they agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products.”
