Samsung to file injunction to block sales of Apple’s iPhone 4S in Italy and France

Less than 24 hours after Apple introduced the new iPhone 4S, Samsung has announced that they plan to file injunctions in Italy and France in hopes of blocking sales of the new iPhone in those countries. Samsung claims that the new iPhone 4S infringes on two of its wireless communications patents that focus on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) 3G technologies.

We’re not sure how this situation is going to play out, but Samsung is poised to cause some serious disruption to Apple’s global launch of the iPhone 4S. The European courts have always been strict about blocking sales of products that may be infringing on patents, even before final ruling of the case has been delivered.

While we wish all these patent disputes would simply go away, it does feel good to see an Android manufacturer go toe-to-toe with Apple, letting them know they’re willing to wage war on multiple fronts. Do you think Samsung’s patents are enough to keep the iPhone 4S out of certain countries? Or is Apple’s market dominance too imposing for one manufacturer to take on by itself?

Source: CNN

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31 Comments Join the discussion!

99 BiGMERF 10/05/11 10:40 AM

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Normally I would say ” cant we all just get along” , for the benefit of the mobile world?! But in this case I say ” GO GETTEM Samsung and I hope you win” ! Someone deserves to take a bite out of Apple, a BIG bite at that !

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- samsung murderersGuest 10/05/11 4:43 PM
  
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  man Samsung are the new evil it nazis, i hope they go down soon
  
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  - LoserLikeMeGuest 10/05/11 5:40 PM
    
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    So you’re saying it is ok for Apple to make claims on Samsung but it’s not ok for Samsung to counterclaim?
    
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- 97 kazahani 10/05/11 11:16 PM
  
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  Doesn’t Samsung supply Apple with the processor for the iphone 4? Why don’t they just threaten to halt production unless Apple dispenses with all this patent nonsense?
  
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Shawn shawnGuest 10/05/11 10:55 AM

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“give them nothing, but from them…. Take everything”

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- 90 WarDrake 10/05/11 10:58 AM
  
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  HAHAHA!!! Yeah, i for one applaud the spartan attitude Samsung has been taking with Apple,
  when you can’t win, play the game and annoy them, when you have your chance, take them out.
  
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97 keridel 10/05/11 11:18 AM

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apple have made a rod for their own back here. by not settling disputes with samsung they are opening themselves up for counter claims.

revenge is a dish best served cold. with frogs legs and pasta apparently..

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- 99 BiGMERF 10/05/11 11:22 AM
  
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  Thanks for making me HUNGRY !
  
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  - 85 Angie Strickland 10/05/11 1:01 PM
    
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    Yeah, the best dishes include cold frog legs and pasta…;)
    
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97 Nate B. 10/05/11 11:27 AM

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Reminds me of Lincoln Lawyer.

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pquin7Guest 10/05/11 11:35 AM

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mmmmm pasta a la apple don’t forget to add the cheese to it….lol

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RockinEvoGuest 10/05/11 1:09 PM

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Awe snap

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65 CaribGrackle 10/05/11 3:09 PM

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Oh it’s going down son!

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RAPTORGuest 10/05/11 3:31 PM

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That’s what happen when you make just one model per 2 years while others do during this time 20 and cover all varieties of options they patent (3D, AMOLEDs, LTE etc)

Imagine this: Apple is largest company in the world and it can not make 5 just a bit different models to satisfy OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT needs and tastes?.Hard to make 3.5, 4, 4.5 and 5″ iPhones? This does not mean losing focus and abandon their beloved minimalism principle. Even making white color phone took them a year. Such way they will always will continue to lose market share.

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- BrandonGuest 10/05/11 3:48 PM
  
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  Apple is the largest company in the world :P since when?
  
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  - BrandonGuest 10/05/11 3:52 PM
    
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    Apple is the 119th largest company :D.. behind, walmart, IBM, microsoft, CVS, AND EVEN SAMSUNG :P
    
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    - DavidGuest 10/05/11 4:16 PM
      
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      I’m not sure what metric you used to conclude that Apple is the 119th largest company, but Raptor is correct when measuring by Market Capitalization (i.e. how much is it worth on the stock market). For example (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.):
      
      “As of September 2011, Apple is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization”
      
      For comparison:
      
      Apple $350 Billion
      Microsoft $216 Billion
      IBM $211 Billion
      Walmart $181 Billion
      Google $162 Billion
      Intel $114 Billion
      Samsung $104 Billion
      
      Of course, if you’re talking about the number of employees then Walmart is the largest private employer in the world at 2 million employees compared to Apple with only 49,400 employees.
      
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      - AppleFUDGuest 10/05/11 4:44 PM
        
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        Market cap doesn’t mean a whole lot and is rather arbitrary. Really only means what banks will loan apple based on current stock pricing. . . who cares? It’s basically a bet by banks on whether or not they will get their money back if they loan it to the company.
        
        Microsoft’s market cap was cut in half in the 90′s because they had too much influence on the market.
        
        It’s a very arbitrary way to say a company is “the largest.”
        
        By no stretch is apple as big as fans would like to think. That market cap could be gone in a single day and that only leaves them with what they own and have in the bank–admittedly they’ve been very wise in stockpiling their cash..
- AppleFUDGuest 10/05/11 4:47 PM
  
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  Apple can’t really make different sized devices. iOS is such a crappy OS that they can’t handle different screen sizes–developers would have to develop for each screen size or apple would have to use the same pixel height & width for each device, thus larger screen users would feel cheated, etc. . .
  
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100 Nick Gray 10/05/11 4:03 PM

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Since Apple is still ahead of Android in Italy, an injunction could turn the tide in Android’s favor.

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- 79 Interpol91 10/05/11 6:57 PM
  
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  Definitely and Apple basically shot themselves in the foot yesterday with the iPhone 4S. Though it will sell it won’t come close to the number of iPhone 4′s that sold. I talked to all of my Apple friends today and they were all annoyed. Maybe the release of the Nexus Prime will convert some of these angered iFans. Google will surely be counting on that.
  
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Joe Buck, FOXGuest 10/05/11 4:47 PM

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I think Apple and the U.S. army should retreat from korea and leave em on their own….ungrateful asians!

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- bpGuest 10/05/11 4:58 PM
  
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  You do realize that if it wasn’t for Asians and Samsung, you wouldn’t have your iPhone ..
  
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- JamesGuest 10/05/11 9:42 PM
  
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  Oh I forgot that Apple had been protecting S. Korea for 60 years and fought for them against N. Korea and China. Gee Sammy, what mess have you created~~~
  
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- 97 keridel 10/05/11 11:29 PM
  
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  you are a dick.
  
  that is all
  
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LoserLikeMeGuest 10/05/11 5:37 PM

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I kinda see this move as, “doing it to show Apple how annoying it was for us,” and for that I like it. The difference is that Samsung isn’t ACTUALLY intimidated in the sales part. Just giving them a taste of their own medicine

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MarkGuest 10/05/11 6:48 PM

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About time someone gave them a taste of their own medicine.

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JayantGuest 10/05/11 7:03 PM

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I support Samsung in there fight against Apple.
Seriously Samsung offered them a deal also but they rejected this shows that apple is nothing but bunch of losers who can’t take on the competition !

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bpGuest 10/05/11 7:50 PM

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Im not an apple fanboy in anyway, android and windows %100, but i just have to say.

RIP Steve Jobs, you are a great person and will always be remembered, you reinvented so many things, if it wasnt for you are world might have been different today. People may hate you and your company, but you had many fans and people in love with your brand. I have nothing against you and never had, never will.

I use android but you people have to admit we probably wouldnt have android in 2008 or it wouldn’t have been nearly the same with out apple :D

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Raveesh BhallaGuest 10/06/11 10:12 AM

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This is just thinking out aloud… I’ve been wondering for quite some time if Google can have all Apple iOS devices blocked from sales because of the new notifications system that they’ve completely ripped off. I mean, if the Galaxy Tab is blocked because it has a black bezel around a rectangular screen and is thin, surely the same can be applied to the notifications system?

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dont forget the fragmentationGuest 10/06/11 3:37 PM

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Im getting the iPhone 4S now, its OS is much better as are the apps.
The new facebook app on android is ATROCIOUS! iOS is stable and not buggy.
Android linux is dead imho.

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