At the first day of testimony in the Apple – Samsung patent case, designer Christopher Stringer who had spent 17 years at Apple Inc. developing the iconic designs of iPhone and iPad, accused Samsung Electronics co. of copying Apple technology for its Galaxy products.
As reported by Washington post, dressed in a tan suit, the bearded and long haired Stringer said “Because of Apple’s desire to create original products, he and his co-workers surmounted numerous engineering problems such as working with the products’ glass faces in producing both products over a number of years. Stringer said he was upset when he saw Samsung’s Galaxy products enter the market.”
“We’ve been ripped off, it’s plain to see,” Stringer further said. “It’s offensive.”
Samsung attorney Charlen Verhoeven rubbished Apple’s allegations by saying that we at Samsung employ thousands of designers and spend billions on the R&D for the creation of unique products.
“Samsung is not some copyist, some Johnny-come-lately doing knockoffs,” he said.
According to Washington Post Verhoeven further asserted that Apple is like any other consumer electronic company, which uses comparable technology and designs to meet the consumer’s needs for phones and other devices that play music and movies and take photographs.
For example, he said, “Several other companies and inventors have filed patent applications for the rounded, rectangular shape associated with Apple products.”
“Everyone is out there with that basic form factor,” Verhoeven said. “There is nothing wrong with looking at what your competitors do and being inspired by them.”
Earlier, an attorney for Apple had told the jury that that Samsung has two options to make its mark in the booming cell phone market after Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to critical acclaim in 2007: Innovate or copy.
“Instead of innovation Samsung chose to copy, making its smartphones and computer tablets illegal knockoffs of Apple’s popular products”, attorney Harold McElhinny claimed.
Samsung “has copied the entire design and user experience” of Apple’s iPhone and iPad, McElhinny told a jury during his opening statement at the patent trial involving the world’s two largest makers of cellphones.
“A verdict in Apple’s favor could lead to banishment of Samsung’s Galaxy products from the U.S. market”, said Mark A. Lemley, a professor and director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology.
It is been touted that if Samsung wins the patent case and Apple pays the asked price, for certain transmission technology, then it may happen that the price of Apple products inflate.
The witness lists of both sides are long on experts, engineers and designers and short on familiar names. Tim Cook, CEO, Apple is not scheduled to testify.
The trial resumes Friday with the testimony of Apple senior vice president for marketing.
