Apple publishes compliant apology to Samsung in UK newspapers

A British court had recently directed Apple to publish its apology to arch rival Samsung Electronics on its UK website and the local newspapers. After Apple published the apology last week on its website, the court found it to be non-compliant. A day later, Apple has published a compliant version of its apology on UK’s newspapers, The Next Web reports. As had been directed by the court earlier, the apology is in the Arial font of size no less than 14pts. Interestingly, Apple even removed the apology that it had placed on its website earlier and is moving it to the front page for prominence. “Apple was required to alter and change the positioning of its statement from a small linked page, to an apology on the front page of its website, which needs to be printed in 11-pt Arial font,” added the report.

Apple apologises to Samsung

Reports over the past week had confirmed that Apple had been directed to publish an apology to Samsung, after the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that the latter’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9, and Tab 7.7 did not infringe upon Apple’s iPad designs. As directed, Apple has published its apology to Samsung using the Arial font with its size being no less than 14 points on its official website. Apple begins it apology by noting that, “On 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computer, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s registered design No. 0000181607-0001.” 

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In its public apology to Samsung, Apple added that the judge noted that Apple’s designs of the iPad bore extreme simplicity that was striking. “Overall it has undecorated flat surfaces with a plate of glass on the front all the way out to a very thin rim and a blank back. There is a crisp edge around the rim and a combination of curves, both at the corners and the sides. The design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold. It is an understated, smooth and simple product. It is a cool design," it noted further. Samsung’s designs for its Galaxy tablets, on the other hand were deemed as not being as cool as Apple’s, since from the front they appeared to belong to that family of which Apple’s design was a part. Samsung products, however, were found to be very thin, “almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back. They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool”.

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