A case brief

                       Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited & Anr v. Apple Inc.


            I would like to present you a brief case of lawsuit between Samsung Electronics (UK)
Limited v. Apple Inc. regarding the design of their products in Britain. I found this topic
interesting because Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics are major producers of tablets and
smartphones, which became very profitable commodity in a few years and made these two campanies one
of the most valuable companies in the world market. Besides it covers topic of intelectual property
law, which I am interested in.


            First, I will write about the facts of the case and I will present parties of the case,
then I will describe main question for the court, the holding of court and the holding of appealing
court. Finally I will explain reasoning of the courts.


            The facts in this case are follows: Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited applied as a
claimant to the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, Patents Court for a declaration that its
Galaxy tablets were not too similar to Apple's products. Because plenty of lawsuits against Samsung
were held by Apple around the world and Samsung wanted to insure their rights in Britain. Apple
counterclaimed with statement that Samsung's Galaxy copied their iPad. In this situation the
question for the court was wheter is Samsung's Galaxy too similar to Apple's iPad and if Samsung
infringe Apple's registred design or not.

            After litigation where both, Samsung's and Apples's, product were presented and
described His Honour Judge Briss decided that Samsung did not infringe Apple's registred design and
that its product is not similar to Apple's iPad. Apple was ordered by a judge to publish a notice
on its U.K. website and in British newspapers alerting people to a ruling that Samsung Electronics
did not copy designs for the iPad as Samsung claimed. Apple appealed but when the case reached the
court of appeal, the holding of previous court was supported.

Both courts explained their decisions by statement that the Samsung products do not have the same
understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool as
Apple's and the overall impression produced is different.