The September 14th ruling that saw Samsung ordered to pay Apple a cool billion dollars may be set for review by the ITC, but that hasn’t stopped one of Samsung’s top men letting loose with a volley that is sure to sting many at Apple HQ. According to the head of Samsung’s mobile and IT division, Apple’s iPhone would be impossible if Samsung didn’t license its patents to its fierce competitor.
The outburst comes after The Korea Times quoted Shin Jong-kyun as saying that the iPhone is only possible thanks to some of Samsung’s wireless patents, an irony that we are sure is not lost on many.
This is not the first time the executive has spoken his mind on Apple and its business, either. Earlier this month he weighed in on HTC’s decision to settle with Apple over its own legal battle. Shin Jong-kyun said then that Samsung had no plans to follow suit, and he would be the man to know!
The truth never lies. Without Samsung-owned wireless patents, it’s impossible for the Cupertino-based Apple to produce its handsets,’’ said Samsung’s mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun in a brief meeting with local reporters on his way to the company’s main office in downtown Seoul, Wednesday.
“As you know, Samsung is very strong in terms of portfolios of wireless patents,’’ the executive added.
Licensing patents between competitors is nothing new for the technology industry, and the comment only serves to highlight the fact that both Apple and Samsung are very much in bed together already. The fact that the pair are also becoming sworn enemies just adds to the fun, at least for us on the outside.
Both Apple and Samsung have not let any of the legal ill-feeling between the pair affect how either firm brings devices to the market, nor does the situation appear to be affecting performance. Both the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Apple iPhone 5 have proven hugely popular in their own right, with sales characteristically at an all-time high already. If the legal battle is affecting development of phones, then the pair are doing a very good job of hiding it. At least from the general public.
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