Have you ever had to say that you’re terrible at something just so you can get some preferential treatment, even though you’re really not as bad as you claim? It’s silly, but sometimes it works.
That’s what happened to Samsung today. In order to not get their products banned from the Netherlands, Samsung had to tell the court today that their multitouch software is really terrible in comparison to Apple’s.
Apple said in the Court of the Hague that Samsung should be banned from selling Galaxy devices in the Netherlands because Samsung has infringed on their “touch event model” patent. The patent basically describes technology that prevents smartphone users from making erroneous touches at the same time.
“While Apple’s technology is a “very nice invention,” the technique used in Android differs from the iOS solution, argued Bas Berghuis van Woortman, one of Samsung’s lawyers. Because the Android based method is more hierarchical the system is more complex and therefore harder for developers to use, he said.
In order for Apple to win the case they had to argue that Samsung’s touch event model is totally almost as good as theirs. So Apple’s lawyer, Theo Blomme had to tell the judge –
“They suggest that they have a lesser solution, but that is simply not true. The technique used in Android does solve a multiple input “conflict situation” and in that way the Android software essentially does the same as Apple’s.”
In the end, the court saw Samsung throwing a pity-party, claiming their multitouch is just terrible, and then Apple coming over trying to boost them up and tell them how awesome their multitouch is, just so they can turn around and slam them with the ban-hammer. Killing ’em with kindness. What a beautiful way to win a patent case.
Source: PC World
Via: The Next Web
