On the witness stand for Apple, an industrial designer says that Samsung
is clearly infringing on multiple patents with its phones and tablets.
Apple is once again turning to designers to help make its case that Samsung lifted its smartphone and tablet designs, this time going to a company outsider to prove its point.
In testimony today, Peter Bressler -- a former president of the Industrial Designers Society and the founder and board chair of product design firm Bresslergroup -- said numerous Samsung designs infringed on Apple's patented designs.
"My opinion (is) that there are a number of Samsung phones and two Samsung tablets that are substantially the same as the design in those (Apple) patents," Bressler said.
As a result, Bressler suggested that consumers could confuse one of Samsung's devices with Apple's.
To back that point up, Bressler, the inventor or co-inventor on about 70 patents, went through how nearly a dozen Samsung devices were similar to Apple's. That includes Samsung's first- and second-generation Galaxy S devices, as well as the company's Galaxy tablets.
Bressler also attempted to gut Samsung's prior art defense, which cites a Japanese design patent issued to rival electronics firm Sharp in 2005. That device, which Samsung suggests looks like the iPhone, is unlike the ones depicted in Apple's patents since it has a curved, non-flat front, Bressler argued.
It's not the first time these design claims have been laid out in the case, which pits the tech competitors and business partners at one another. However, it is perhaps the deepest inspection made during the trial so far of what exactly Apple's design patents cover. In his own words, Bressler said one of the key issues at stake is that industrial designers see things differently than what he said were "normal" people.
"Industrial designers are trained to pay attention to a lot of the little details that work together to form the overall impression that the usual consumer would view," he said. "So (consumers) may see those details, but they tend to be somewhat subconscious to the overall view."
Bressler is just one of several design specialists Apple is calling on to make its argument. Up after him, and also expected to testify, is Susan Kare, an early Apple employee and designer who may be best known for creating the original set of graphics on the Mac.
Earlier in the day, Samsung's top strategy officer, Justin Denison, was on the stand where he offered a sharply different interpretation, rebutting allegations that Samsung had "slavishly" copied Apple's own iPhones and iPads.
"I find it very offensive," Denison said. "At Samsung, we're very very proud of the products we produce, of all the hard work that goes into bringing those products to market."
"What we would like to be able to do is simply compete in the market, continue what we've been doing for the last 15 years in the market," he added.
Apple is once again turning to designers to help make its case that Samsung lifted its smartphone and tablet designs, this time going to a company outsider to prove its point.
In testimony today, Peter Bressler -- a former president of the Industrial Designers Society and the founder and board chair of product design firm Bresslergroup -- said numerous Samsung designs infringed on Apple's patented designs.
"My opinion (is) that there are a number of Samsung phones and two Samsung tablets that are substantially the same as the design in those (Apple) patents," Bressler said.
As a result, Bressler suggested that consumers could confuse one of Samsung's devices with Apple's.
To back that point up, Bressler, the inventor or co-inventor on about 70 patents, went through how nearly a dozen Samsung devices were similar to Apple's. That includes Samsung's first- and second-generation Galaxy S devices, as well as the company's Galaxy tablets.
Bressler also attempted to gut Samsung's prior art defense, which cites a Japanese design patent issued to rival electronics firm Sharp in 2005. That device, which Samsung suggests looks like the iPhone, is unlike the ones depicted in Apple's patents since it has a curved, non-flat front, Bressler argued.
It's not the first time these design claims have been laid out in the case, which pits the tech competitors and business partners at one another. However, it is perhaps the deepest inspection made during the trial so far of what exactly Apple's design patents cover. In his own words, Bressler said one of the key issues at stake is that industrial designers see things differently than what he said were "normal" people.
"Industrial designers are trained to pay attention to a lot of the little details that work together to form the overall impression that the usual consumer would view," he said. "So (consumers) may see those details, but they tend to be somewhat subconscious to the overall view."
Bressler is just one of several design specialists Apple is calling on to make its argument. Up after him, and also expected to testify, is Susan Kare, an early Apple employee and designer who may be best known for creating the original set of graphics on the Mac.
Earlier in the day, Samsung's top strategy officer, Justin Denison, was on the stand where he offered a sharply different interpretation, rebutting allegations that Samsung had "slavishly" copied Apple's own iPhones and iPads.
"I find it very offensive," Denison said. "At Samsung, we're very very proud of the products we produce, of all the hard work that goes into bringing those products to market."
"What we would like to be able to do is simply compete in the market, continue what we've been doing for the last 15 years in the market," he added.
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