Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane R
Lets be fair and honest in our argumentation.
That was a Samsung talking point, and it wasn't true. Apple has the same kind of protection for it's 'i' lines that Coca-cola had one on it's curvy glass bottles (a design patent for its ornamental exterior design). Samsung, Microsoft and Sony all have them on their device families too!
It means that you can't make an exact copy of their total design. Individual elements, like rounded corners, are fair game. Apple didn't sue because of one element like rounded corners -- they sued because of several elements being lifted all together. |
A design trademark, most likely. And design patent would have expired decades ago. (Patents have an extremely limited life. The most in US patent history was 34 years. The bottle shape has been around for at least 80 years that I know of...)