I’ve complained about the utter ridiculousness of Apple‘s claims that Samsung were breaking the law by making their devices look similar in the past – but it seems Apple was very serious indeed. In its legal brief for its lawsuit against Samsung in the US – Apple gave Samsung some very helpful tips on how to avoid copying “their” style in the future.
In s.40-41 of their brief (on p8 for those looking), Apple lists the following options for smartphones:
- Front surfaces that are not black or clear
- Front surfaces that are not rectangular, not flat, and without rounded corners
- Display screens that are more square than rectangular or not rectangular at all
- Display screens that are not centered on the front surface of the phone and that have substantial lateral borders
- Speaker openings that are not horizontal slots with rounded ends and that are not centered above the display screen
- Front surfaces that contain substantial adornment
- Phones without bezels at all or very different-looking bezels that are not thin, uniform, and with an inwardly sloping profile
…and the following options for tablets:
- Overall shapes that are not rectangular with four flat sides or that do not have four rounded corners
- Front surfaces that are not completely flat or clear and that have substantial adornment
- Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface
- Profiles that are not thin
- A cluttered appearance
Very helpful there Apple. So if Samsung wants to avoid copying you for smart devices (which I repeat for the umpteenth time that you did *not* invent) then they should basically aim to make them look like footballs – all fat and spherical – and probably best without a screen. Maybe an actual football – clever.
Apple vs Samsung US Declaration
[via PC World]