[Article] Foxconn maye be Planning on Pulling a Samsung on Apple

[Black]

http://news.yahoo.com/foxconn-may-planni...34838.html

^^^http ://news.ya hoo .com/foxconn-may-p lanning-pull-s amsung-ap ple-153034 838.ht ml^^^

[sekker]

Completely different from Samsung vs Apple.

But makes sense. Labor costs in China are rising. They need to capture more profit per unit they assemble.

[BernDog]

If it's true, good for them. They'd be silly not to diversify. They're not "Samsunging" Apple unless they steal their IP.

[silvarios]

BernDog wrote: They're not "Samsunging" Apple unless they steal their IP.

It used to be the only way to steal IP in software was to rip off the actual code (assuming the license was not permissive to such code reuse). Software patents are a scourge on the entire industry and until Samsung is proven to have actually lifted code in violation of copyright, it seems silly to repeat the "stolen IP" talking point.

I think the damages trial is getting a bit of a redo at the moment, but the number was down to $450+ million. Seems like a big number, right? Until you realize Apple's damages for infringing VirnetX's patents in a similarly pointless trial was $368.2 million!!!! To be fair, I believe that verdict is likewise being challenged/

All in all, this technology landscape is disquieting to one as myself who lives and breathes this industry. Clean room reverse engineering and implementing other OS/app features with your own code were both considered legal avenues of product development in the past. Imagine if Mac OS couldn't have preemptive multi-tasking, memory protection, command tab app switching, contextual menu support, etc, because other companies had patented the software first?