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Apple's warning to Samsung: 'Android is designed to lead companies to imitate the iPhone'

Apple's warning to Samsung: 'Android is designed to lead companies to imitate the iPhone'

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We first heard about a presentation Apple made to Samsung about copying its devices in today's testimony, and now the entire document has been filed — and it levies some serious accusations not just at Samsung, but at Google and Android as well.

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Samsung Copying Apple
Samsung Copying Apple

We first heard about a presentation Apple made to Samsung about copying its devices in today's testimony, and now the entire document has been filed — and it levies some serious accusations not just at Samsung, but at Google and Android as well. First shown to Samsung executives in August of 2010, the 67-page document lists numerous patents that Apple claims are being infringed by Samsung smartphones, and they all share one common denominator: Google's mobile operating system. "Apple has identified dozens of examples where Android is using or encouraging others to use Apple patented technology," the document reads, with a following bullet point noting that "Apple has not authorized the use of any of these patents."

While no specific trade dress or design patent claims are made in the document, it does feature several images that make Apple's feelings clear in both arenas. In a section simply entitled "Samsung Copying iPhone," the iPhone 4 is put side by side with the Galaxy S in terms of appearance, app design, and even packaging. Symbian also makes a brief appearance, with one slide reading "Symbian and Bada also using Apple patents," and that "Samsung needs a license to continue to use Apple patents in infringing smartphones."

Of course, this document was just a conversation-starter between the two companies. The real focus was to entice Samsung to license Apple's patents, negotiations that are detailed in another document revealed in today's filings.