UK Apology to Samsung Backfires as Apple Sets the Record Straight
In a bizarre legal twist, Apple has finally posted an apology on their UK Homepage to Samsung as a UK judgment demanded of them. Yet Apple-Legal decided to play by the letter of the law and used it as an opportunity to set the record straight about Samsung copying the iPad design and more. In the end, Apple took a tough situation and turned water into wine. Updated Nov 01, 2012
UK Apology to Samsung Backfires as Apple Sets the Record Straight
In October, a judge in the United Kingdom had delivered a stinging rebuke of Apple, ordering them to run ads publicly apologizing to Samsung. Apple was ordered to publish newspaper advertisements and a statement on its website acknowledging that Samsung hadn't copied its designs. As first discovered by MacRumors, the apology is now on Apple's UK site. At the bottom of Apple's UK homepage is a link for "Samsung/Apple UK judgement."
The apology is presented to you below in full; and it's anything but an apology.
Other than pointing consumers to two specific links (one, two) to two differing court judgements, there isn't a straight forward apology. In fact, as you could see for yourself, Apple used the opportunity to inform the public that "in Germany regarding the same patent, the court found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design." Additionally "A US jury also found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's design and utility patents, awarding over one billion US dollars in damages to Apple Inc."
I'm sure that Samsung-legal will be pulling their hair out this morning as well as yelling and rending their garments. They were fully expecting a groveling Apple statement of apology and instead got spit in the face. It was bizarre for a judge to grant such a political judgement, but Apple-Legal's brilliance turned the table on Samsung. Well done Apple-Legal, well done!
Report Update November 01, 2012: See our new follow-up report titled "Apple Given 48 Hours to Correct their Apology to Samsung."
I'd like to thank the many Android fans who emailed me the news of this new development in the case this mornng, the very second it went online. Despite your mean spirited demon-spitting language (ha, I only exaggerate a little), I've provided equal space for a report update.
Cheers
Jack Purcher
Hi TJ,
By all means. I fully expect the "other side" to have fun with this. The demon-spitting reference was in context to the over-the-top foul language found in some email messeages. People have to learn to make a point without "losing it." :)
Who knows, with Tim Cook in a firing mood this week, maybe the head of their legal team won't be with them next week. In the big picture, perhaps Cook should fire himself for using Samsung as a supplier years ago. They became the biggest Judas of all. Silly could become stupid pretty fast these days, so hang on, this might not be over just yet.
Cheers
Posted by: Jack Purcher | November 01, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Dear Jack,
While you had all the right to have fun reporting Apple's response and Apple's gloat in the disguise of an apology. I think you need to be a sport while the Android fans come and have fun reporting this tight slap on the face of Apple-Legal. I guess Apple-Legal wanted 14 days to comply with the order rather than the 48 hours because they were busy lining up at the launderette to clean up their soiled garments because of the spanking they got. Probably it might also be time for them to visit a barber and get shaved on the head because they are not used to gnawing off their hair when some of their legal tactics misfires.
Was it too much demon-spitting for you? Is it demon-spitting only when someone is snarky against Apple. When it is in favor of apple it becomes having fun and having a sense of humor?
Have fun!
-TJ
Posted by: TJ | November 01, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Yes Jack, Apple legal accidentally prepared it using Samsung's special vintage of the month called the "Sour grapes" collection. :)
Cheers
Posted by: Jack Purcher | November 01, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Turns out that's some sour wine.
Posted by: Jack | November 01, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Yes, I agree with you Heywood, to a point. Considering that Samsung has been found guilty of copying Apple's iDevices in certain jurisdictions, the judge going along with a request from Samsung to force Apple to apologize is insane to begin with. I suppose Apple should be asking the California Court to do the same. Then at least it will be equal stupidity.
But the lawyers did push it and yes it's a bad week for Apple.
Posted by: Jack Purcher | November 01, 2012 at 10:03 AM
No it didn't gb and you have every right to gloat, as do all androiders who emailed me about this today, as I had fun reporting on Apple's initial response. We're really just on the sidelines in this war, gb. You just can't take it too seriously.
Cheers
Jack Purcher
Posted by: Jack Purcher | November 01, 2012 at 09:44 AM
It looks like the stupid ones here were the snarky Apple lawyers, they are getting spanked by the judge and told to correct their obvious error in the posting.
Oh, and it was interesting how Apple crafted the links to point to favorable findings in particular cases, but failed to provide the full listing of how they have lost more then they have won in this particular arena.
Sad sad day for Apple . . .
Posted by: Heywood | November 01, 2012 at 09:27 AM
So...that didn't work out so well for Apple, did it? Now they're ordered to publish a retraction. Apparently, the letter of the law isn't sufficient! You need to follow the spirit of it as well.
Posted by: gb | November 01, 2012 at 07:44 AM
@zodbuster
The same can be said of android users.
But they are worst because they keep repeating and reassuring themselves how great their android whatever are.
Posted by: AdamC | October 26, 2012 at 09:39 PM
Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which users express empathy and have almost fanatical ( eg APPLE ) positive feelings towards their products, always to the point of defending them ad nauseam.
Posted by: zodbuster | October 26, 2012 at 08:36 PM
Fair point...
Posted by: Eddie | October 26, 2012 at 02:57 PM
I can't speak for the court, Eddie, but it appears, as stated, that Apple played by the letter of the law by mirroring what the Judge stated and properly provided links to those rulings. However, how can a true apology be given if there are jurisdictions that provided opposing positions? The contradictions were properly laid out for the public to see in Apple's statement. Samsung thought that they were cute, and Apple outplayed them. Pretty simple. Did Samsung ever apologize to Apple? No. So I wouldn't hold my breath for one from Apple.
Posted by: Jack Purcher | October 26, 2012 at 08:54 AM
So as you point out this is not an apology and if the courts get picky Apple might still have to produce a proper one !
Posted by: Eddie | October 26, 2012 at 08:46 AM