Apple vs. Samsung: next round today
Oz Federal Court readies blue, red corners
Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Backup/Recovery
The next round of Apple vs. Samsung in Australia is due to take place this morning (August 29), Sydney time, with a directions hearing before Justice Bennett of the Federal Court of Australia at 9.15am.
Don’t get too excited, however: a directions hearing is a merely procedural matter, in which the court indicates to the parties how the action should proceed (including details such as working out the handover of documents, timetables, and so on).
If the hearing proceeds, all it will immediately mean is that the two parties haven’t somehow settled their differences outside court, and that for now at least, the case is proceeding.
Since the two smartphone behemouths have continued with legal mortar fire in the US and Europe since the first hearing three weeks ago, it doesn’t seem likely that the Australian case will disappear any time soon.
The dispute has kept Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 out of the hands of Australian consumers, and with the case descending to the ridiculous level of citing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as prior art for tablet computers, locals who want a fondleslab alternative to the iPad and missed out on their shot at a cut-price HP TouchPad will just have to keep waiting. ®
COMMENTS
Why ridiculous?
"...and with the case descending to the ridiculous level of citing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as prior art for tablet computers..."
Why is it ridiculous? Apple says it has a patent on the *design* of a tablet, not on anything mechanical. There are numerous examples of tablets in science fiction film/TV, all looking very similar to the iPad. Therefore there is prior art, with the use of the word "art" being entirely justified in this case!
Apples and Pears
I just wish it would all go pear shaped for apple.
Obvious?
One could also make a case, I think, for that particular shape and method of use being "obvious", which ISTR prevents an idea being patented under US law at least. But certainly it has appeared in all manner of SF stories, visual and verbal, since way before Apple (the infringer of Beatles' rights, IIRC) existed.
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