Samsung and Apple will soon duke it out in yet another patent trial. The two companies submitted a list of disputed devices, which includes the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3, among others.
This is the third patent trail between Apple and Samsung. The case will cover five different patents and 10 mobile devices from each company. It will be tried by the same judge and held in the same court house as before, but nonetheless, there is no guarantee that the outcome will be the same. The trial is scheduled to begin on March 31, 2014.
The patents Apple accuses Samsung of infringing upon include mostly software and user interface applications. Voice assistant Siri, slide to unlock and auto-complete are some of the features that will be tried in the case. On Samsung's side of things, Apple stands accused of infringing upon several of Samsung's standards-essential patents, which ensure that smartphones meet international standards. Unfortunately for Samsung, one of the patents it accuses Apple of violating just expired.
Apple accuses the following devices of infringing on its patents: Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Stratosphere. Meanwhile, Samsung argues that these Apple devices violated its patents: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th generation), iPod Touch (4th generation) and MacBook Pro.
Since many of the contested devices are still available in stores, whoever loses will face a ban on some of its products. Many of the Apple devices Samsung accuses of patent infringement were released more recently, so in that sense, Apple stands to lose more in this trial than Samsung. New products from both companies could also face problems in the future, depending on the outcome of the trial. Not even the iPhone 5S or upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphones are safe, some tech pundits say.
Both companies are scheduled to discuss a possible agreement or settlement during a mediation meeting prior to the trial. However, it is very unlikely that the two companies will reach any sort of lasting peace from a few closed door talks. In August 2012, Samsung lost big time to Apple in a patent trial and was ordered to pay $930 million in damages to Apple. After such a terrific loss, Samsung is bound to be bitter.
