Apple Inc. was ordered by a judge to publish a notice on its U.K. website and in British newspapers alerting people to a ruling that Samsung Electronics Co. didn’t copy designs for the iPad.

The notice should outline the July 9 London court decision that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets don’t infringe Apple’s registered designs, Judge Colin Birss said yesterday. It should be posted on Apple’s U.K. home page for six months and published in several newspapers and magazines to correct any impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple’s product, Birss said.

The order means Apple will have to publish “an advertisement” for Samsung, Richard Hacon, a lawyer for Cupertino, California-based Apple, told the court. “No company likes to refer to a rival on its website.”

Apple is fighting patent lawsuits around the globe against competitors including Google Inc., HTC Corp. (2498) and Samsung as it competes for dominance of the smartphone and tablet computer markets. The firms have accused each other of copying designs and technology in their mobile devices. Legal battles about the similarity of Samsung and Apple tablets are being fought in Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S.

Public Statements

Birss said in his July 9 ruling that Samsung’s tablets were unlikely to be confused with the iPad because they are “not as cool.” He declined yesterday to grant Samsung’s bid for an injunction blocking Apple from making public statements that the Galaxy infringed its design rights.

“They are entitled to their opinion,” he said.

Apple spokesman Alan Hely didn’t immediately respond to a phone call and e-mail requesting comment on the judge’s order.

“Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited,” Samsung said in a statement after the hearing.

“The war between these two companies seems to be escalating even further,” said Colin Fowler, an intellectual property lawyer at London-based Rouse. He said much of the publicity around the July 9 ruling focused on Birss’ comments about Samsung not being as cool.

“From a victory in court they were suddenly on the back foot,” Fowler said in a phone interview. “Getting this order fits in with the context of them trying to restore the balance.”

Comments made by Apple after that ruling unfairly implied that Samsung had copied designs, Samsung’s lawyer Kathryn Pickard said at the hearing. That “caused real commercial harm.”

As well as Apple’s website, the company must pay for notices in the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile magazine, and T3, according to a draft copy of the order provided by Samsung’s lawyers.

Apple’s lawyer said the company would appeal the July 9 decision and Judge Birss granted the company permission to take its case to the court of appeal. (Bloomberg)





<관련 한글 기사>





삼성의 굴욕, ‘쿨하지 못해’ 미안해


영국 법원이 18일 애플에게 ‘삼성전자가 아이패드의 디자인을 도용하지 않았음’을 영국 애플지사 웹사이트와 미디어를 통해 공지하라는 판결을 내렸다.

콜린 비르스 판사는 지난 7월 9일 ‘삼성 갤럭시탭은 아이패드만큼 멋지지 않아(“not as cool”) 아이패드와 혼동되지 않으므로 디자인을 베꼈다고 볼 수 없다’는 내용의 판결을 내렸다.

이어 판사는 사람들이 삼성에 대해 잘못된 인식을 갖지 않도록 하고 삼성의 실추된 이미지를 회복시키기 위해 애플이 지난 9일의 판결 내용을 영국 애플지사 홈페이지를 포함해 파이낸셜타임스, 데일리메일, 가디언모바일매거진, T3 등 여러 미디어에 6개월간 실어 공지해야 한다고 말했다.

한편 판사는 어느 기업이나 자유롭게 주장을 펼 권리가 있다고 말하면서 ‘갤럭시가 애플의 디자인 저작권을 침해했다’고 애플이 공개적으로 말하지 못하게 해 달라는 삼성의 요청도 기각했다.

판결에 대해 애플 측의 리처드 해콘 변호사는 어떤 회사도 경쟁사를 자사의 홈페이지에 언급하고 싶어하지 않을 것이라고 하면서 이 판결은 애플로 하여금 삼성을 광고해 주라는 것과 같다고 말했다.

런던 소재 지적재산권 회사 라우스의 변호사인 콜린 파울러는 이번 판결과 관련해 앞으로 삼성과 애플 양측의 분쟁이 더욱 더 가열될 것이라고 전망했다. (코리아헤럴드)