Samsung exec calls legal battle with Apple 'a loss' for innovation

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
During a panel at the D: Dive Into Media conference on Monday, Samsung Executive Vice President David Eun outlined a bold initiative to drive innovative thinking at the intersection of hardware and software, and said the ongoing litigation with Apple is hurting such efforts as a whole.

David Eun
Samsung EVP David Eun. | Source: All Things D


While not a main talking point of the interview, Eun told All Things D's Kara Swisher that he saw the seemingly endless legal struggle as "a loss" for innovation in the fast-moving tech industry.

As noted by Engadget, Swisher asked Eun how he felt about Samsung's relationship with Apple, which quickly turned sour after a worldwide court battle broke out in April 2011 over Apple sued the Korean company for infringing on certain design and utility patents. Eun was cagey in his reply, offering little in the way of specifics, though he did note that the litigation was stagnating innovation.

The two companies have multiple cases still pending judgment, though the landmark Apple v. Samsung U.S. jury trial ended with a $1 billion ruling in favor of the Cupertino tech giant. The California case is currently slogging its way through the post-trial process.

It was revealed today that Apple CEO Tim Cook disagreed with late cofounder Steve Jobs' views on pursuing legal actions against Samsung.

Eun's remarks were part of a larger discussion of Samsung's push into Silicon Valley, a project dubbed the Open Innovation Center which the executive has been tasked to lead.

?We?re doubling down on software innovation, particularly software that will enhance our products,? he said. ?We?re focusing on investing in early stage companies and developing partnerships with them that can help us enhance the user experience of our customers.?

Samsung's initiative has an accelerator branch that grants small startup teams access to the firm's plans, an M&A team to scout up-and-coming talent, a venture arm to make small investments in the "next big things" and a partnerships team for all other startups, including those that don't want to be bound to the company.

Currently, the innovation centers are housed in temporary locations in Silicon Valley and New York City. Permanent facilities are slated to pop up in Palo Alto and New York's Chelsea neighborhood this June.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 87
    Theft is innovation? These theiving slimeballs need to be brought to bear for their illegal activities
  • Reply 2 of 87
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    A tired cliche from an intellectual property thief that refuses to innovate.
  • Reply 3 of 87
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member

    Quote:


    outlined a bold initiative to drive innovative thinking at the intersection of hardware and software



     


     


     


    Perhaps they're finally realising that a bigger screen isn't innovative, or that throwing a whole bunch of features in for the sake of the spec sheet isn't innovative. Apple has been doing this for years, however. Although I suppose for Samsung it might seem innovative.

  • Reply 4 of 87
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    If it makes Samsung come up with more of their OWN designs and fewer Apple-clone designs, then it's a win for innovation, choice, and competition.

    If it fails to achieve that, then yes, a loss.
  • Reply 5 of 87
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member


    Yes.. we can't steal from Apple anymore because we are under the microscope now! Well, it is a matter of time before Samsung create their own Android OS fork.

  • Reply 6 of 87
    nasserae wrote: »
    Yes.. we can't steal from Apple anymore because we are under the microscope now! Well, it is a matter of time before Samsung create their own Android OS fork.

    He should put his IP where is mouth is and license it out for $0.00 as not doing so is halting innovation.
  • Reply 7 of 87
    Samsung steals technology from Apple and then they call it innovation. How utterly ridiculous.
  • Reply 8 of 87
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member


    When Samsung actually innovates, the only losers are the ones in the photocopier-machine industry.  What a douche.



    Make your own stuff Samsung.  Be grateful you had Apple to pave the way for you to copy.

  • Reply 9 of 87
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    Yes.. we can't steal from Apple anymore because we are under the microscope now! Well, it is a matter of time before Samsung create their own Android OS fork.



    I'm curious about this. What would be the advantage in this, other than the obvious opportunity to make "fork you" jokes.

  • Reply 10 of 87


    Stop copying Apple = no more litigation. 


     


    Pretty simple, really. 


     


    Where were YOU, Samsung, in June 2007? Where were YOU, Samsung, In January 2010? Because I sure as shit know EXACTLY what Apple did on those two occasions. Steve Jobs was busy doing the keynotes that changed the entire tech landscape almost overnight. 


     


    Where were YOU, Samsung?

  • Reply 11 of 87
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    ...Swisher asked Eun how he felt about Samsung's relationship with Apple, which quickly turned sour after a worldwide court battle broke out in April 2011 over Apple sued the Korean company for infringing on certain design and utility patents. Eun was cagey in his reply, offering little in the way of specifics...


    ...and that's because their CE business has been busy sticking a knife through the heart of their components business. He has to watch his back internally more than externally I'd wager.

  • Reply 12 of 87


    Eun didn't talk about the JURY VERDICT that put his company on the hook for over a billion to Apple?


     


    He didn't?


     


     


     


     


    Oh.

  • Reply 13 of 87
    stefstef Posts: 87member
    Caption: Samsung "vice" president shows Kara how long his nose will grow by the end of this interview.
  • Reply 14 of 87


    Samsung has no class to allow one of its VPs to talk like this in public.


     


    What a tawdry tactic to yammer about lack of innovation while Apple is most likely working like crazy on its next new thing. Not that they'd stoop to engaging such a cheap ploy, even if they had the time.


     


    Apple's best revenge will be its continuing success.

  • Reply 15 of 87
    Ass Clowns!
  • Reply 16 of 87

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    During a panel at the D: Dive Into Media conference on Monday, Samsung Executive Vice President David Eun outlined a bold initiative to drive innovative thinking at the intersection of hardware and software, and said the ongoing litigation with Apple is hurting such efforts as a whole....




    ...We're doubling down on software innovation, particularly software that will enhance our products, he said....


     


    Which probably is all the more reason why Apple should be doubling down on secrecy.


     


     


    I can't wait for the trolls to defend this initiative to buy small start-ups, which will spur innovation for Samsung.....but when Apple does the same it means they've run out of their own ideas and can no longer innovate.

  • Reply 17 of 87
    bwikbwik Posts: 565member


    Apple should have taken a different tack.  Instead of saying Galaxies were _like_ Apple products, Apple should have asserted that galaxies _were_ Apple products.  It's really theft.  Samsung was manufacturing Apple's products without a license.  


     


    It's just like selling a recording of a Beatles song, but pretending you wrote it and refusing to pay royalties.  The offense is not releasing the product; the offense is stealing their revenue for their song.

  • Reply 18 of 87
    quadra 610 wrote: »
    Where were YOU, Samsung, in June 2007? Where were YOU, Samsung, In January 2010? Because I sure as shit know EXACTLY what Apple did on those two occasions. Steve Jobs was busy doing the keynotes that changed the entire tech landscape almost overnight. 

    Where were YOU, Samsung?

    Simple... Samsung had to wait for Google to make them an OS on both those occasions. Samsung had nothing to offer at the time.

    Samsung didn't release their first Android phone until 2009... 2 years after the iPhone.

    They were a little quicker on the tablet front, though. But instead of waiting for Honeycomb (the "real" tablet OS... lol...) they went ahead and put Froyo on their first Android tablet in late 2010.

    Oh Samsung may make great products now... but in those early days they were freakin' clueless.
  • Reply 19 of 87


    Say what you want about Samsung (or for those so inclined, Apple and it's "lack of innovation" in the past couple years) - He is right. I know I would not be continuing to push out amazing new products that change an industry, or create a new industry, etc. if the minute I released something, or announced, that the industry photo copiers started up.


     


    I genuinely think that part of the reason (the other part being that the pace from 2007-2010 was completely unsustainable) for the perceived lack of innovation coming out of Cupertino in the past few years is due to the constant litigation these companies are in.


     


    Once a line is drawn and everyone (or everyone with the means) knows where that line is, regardless if money changes hands or not, and there is a certain level of IP protection, we will again start to be really amazed.


     


    EDIT: If I had a time machine, the first stop would be to buy some AAPL when it went public, hold onto it until mid/late 2012. The second stop would be to visit Steve Jobs in early 2010 and see if I could convince hime to buy palm. I know I need to give this up, but I still think had Apple bought palm, and taken webOS and merged the good parts with iOS? It would be the best mobile OS in the world with no competition.

  • Reply 20 of 87
    Samsung: Killing innovation since 2006 (at least).

    Seriously, whose idea was it to make an "Innovation Center" in Silicon Valley. Sure makes sense though. It's a lot easy to steal ideas when you're that much closer to the IP... then call it "innovation" and voila... they're the good guys.

    I call BS.
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