Apple's apology to Samsung should be in Arial font: Judge

An appeals court in its latest judgment reiterated that Samsung did not copy Apple’s iPad designs while designing its Galaxy Tab, ordering Apple to make a public apology in the process. The judge has given directions about how the apology has to be tendered. Gizmodo reports that as part of its public apology to Samsung, Apple will have to print notices on its website and in newspapers, and also explain why it is apologising. Apple has to get the notices printed using the Arial font, with a font size no smaller than 14 points.

In July this year, Apple had been ordered by Judge Colin Birss to publish a notice on its UK website, and in British newspapers to inform consumers that the Galaxy Tab’s design has not been copied from the iPad. The notice that Apple had been asked to publish was to highlight the court’s July 9 decision, wherein it affirmed that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets do not infringe upon Apple’s patented designs. At the time, reports revealed that, “The order means Apple will have to publish “an advertisement” for Samsung, Richard Hacon, a lawyer for Cupertino, California-based Apple, told the court. “No company likes to refer to a rival on its website”.

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Apple ordered to publicly apologise to Apple

When in a High Court judgment Judge Colin Birss ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets were “not as cool”, he shared that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets were part of the same family as Apple when viewed from the front, but the Samsung products were “very thin, almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back”.

The judge went on to add that Samsung’s tablets do not possess the “same understated and extreme simplicity” visible in Apple’s design of the iPad. “They are not as cool,” the judge had said then. 

At the time of delivering the verdict, the judge had stated that the “overall impression” of the products in the end was different. At the time, however Apple’s lawyer revealed that the company “would appeal the July 9 decision,” and that Judge Birss allowed the company to take their case forward to the court of appeal. 

Apple recently won after what had been one long battle and Samsung Electronics is to cough up compensation to the tune of a staggering $1.05 billion. It is a big win for the company, and on the Internet is circulating a copy of the email that Apple chief, Tim Cook sent out to his employees. Incidentally, Cook also completes his one year on the job today. In the e-mail that Cook sent out to his employees after the big win, he wrote how that lawsuit has been about values, more importantly than patents or money. He adds that the lawsuit came into being only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying Apple’s work. 

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