Apple’s legal battle against Samsung extends to software, Siri

New York City, NY, United States (4E) – Apple’s hardware and design copyright infringement case against Samsung in a California district court has recently been ruled in favor of the Cupertino-based company. But that is only one of the many legal battles the two companies are butting heads in. In a Washington court, Apple has accused Samsung of copying its software and seeks the ban of the Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus, according to Apple, copies the same software features including its popular virtual secretary, Siri.

“This was the beat-Apple strategy. This was the top of the line, Cadillac phone they trotted out to compete with the iPhone,” Apple’s lawyer Mark Perry said, according to Bloomberg.

Google commented on Apple’s desire to ban Samsung’s smartphones, which run on Google’s Android system.

“Modern smartphones have thousands of features, and if patent owners can block products based on a single invention, all of the devices would be vulnerable to such orders and ‘the design and manufacture of similarly complex technological marvels would become economically infeasible,’” Google explained.

The smartphone market is said to be worth an estimated $219 million. In its third quarter fiscal report, Apple made $16 billion in iPhone sales, while Samsung’s Nexus smartphone made $250 million.

“The patent is for a unified search feature that captures results from multiple sources, such as the Internet and e-mail contacts. Perry said that ability forms the heart of Siri, because consumers like the comprehensive results they get when they ask a question.

Quinn said many consumers didn’t even know the feature was on the Samsung phones. It is the Android operating system that customers chose,” Perry added.

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