They’re filthy rich with cash to burn.
But still, why are Apple and Samsung wasting time fighting in courts over patents and technology, some of which are now out of date 2 years after the fight first kicked off?
There are a multitude of reasons why the tech giants won’t give up without a fight – and its not just about the cash, or patented technology each side is claiming the other has pinched.
“There is a high dollar value attached to the outcome of the cases, so it would be very costly for either party to capitulate,” Chris Baxter, Baxter IP lawyers told SmartHouse.
Read: Apple V Samsung: ‘Most Complicated Case Ever’?
“Further, although the features are not new anymore, Apple and Samsung still want to incorporate at least some of them (such as rubberband zoom) into their new products – that is they are still current features that are important for usability, for example.”
Baxter says the Apple V Samsung case is “highly complex” due to the technical nature of the issues involved.
The Apple V Samsung patent infringements case is being played out again in Australia’s Federal Court since late February and is scheduled to keep going until June 13.
The technology patents case is now being heard before two judges which the IP lawyer admits is a “unusual step” but makes sense given the complexities involved.
Last week, a US Federal Judge slashed the $1.05bn fine Samsung has to pay Apple by half a billion, as the highly contentious case there continues, as in courts throughout Europe and Korea.
And it looks like Samsung is taking no chances either after having suffered some early losses in courts worldwide including last year’s billion dollar fine, and has upped its lobbying expenditure in the US to close to $1 billion in 2012 – from just $150,000 the year prior, according to Bloomberg.
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The sum is the biggest ever the Koreans has payed out to lobbyists who push its interests in areas including patent regulation and telecommunications.
The Galaxy Note makers says the enhanced lobbying spend is ”a prudent step as part of day-to-day business operations, our growing presence outside of our headquarters country, and our commitment to transparency.”
It is probably a smart move since Apple is US company through and through, and one of Silicon Valley’s most revered titans.
The launch of Samsung’s next hero smartphone – Galaxy S IV in the US next week also highlights the importance of that market to the Koreans, now the world’s biggest phone maker – of both ‘dumb’ and smartphones.
And with Apple hot at its heels at No. 2 in the smartphone race and as one of the world’s most valuable companies, it wants to protect marketshare – and technologies.
