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Firms face more patent disputes

Samsung SDS introduces key technology trends for 2013 By Kim Yoo-chul A local technology expert has warned Korean technology companies should increase efforts for coping with international patent disputes because a growing number of their rivals abroad are expected to file lawsuits against them. The warning came at a press conference hosted by Samsung SDS, Tuesday to unveil ``2013 IT Mega Trends’’ to dominate the technology world. “We believe that Korean technology companies, which are generally late in responding regarding intellectual property issues, should be more active about defending their businesses by implementing finely-tuned strategies. Korean firms have so far been passive about patents. When you want to prepare for the future, then you should invest more in patents,’’ said Cha In-hyok, vice president of Samsung SDS. “Patents are essential and exclusive. Decades ago, they only focused on technologies. But patents themselves have now become a new business model. They are seeing comprehensive segmentation. We should catch up with developed countries by secur

Sep 25, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

LG sues Samsung over refrigerator ads

By Kim Yoo-chul LG Electronics said Monday that it is suing its biggest rival Samsung Electronics after the latter put out advertisements that allegedly make false comparisons to promote refrigerators. LG claims that the ads have damaged its brand awareness. On Monday, LG said it filed an injunction with Seoul Central District Court for a permanent injunction against Samsung ads over the capacity of premium fridges. ``LG Electronics is seeking an imminent end for Samsung ads because Samsung’s claim that its fridges are far better than ours in terms of capacity is totally false and groundless,’’ said KS Yun, head of LG's Ref. R&D Lab. LG is seeking further legal measures against Samsung, said Yun without elaborating further. LG has officially asked Samsung to hold an open test comparing the capacity of fridges in a bid to give consumers the chance to decide for themselves on the matter. In a separate statement, Samsung said its ads were aimed at helping consumers obtain better information before making purchases and company spokesman Lee Seung-joon said it doesn’t have

Sep 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Smartphone war heats up

Pantech unveils new device; Galaxy Note 2 out on Wed. By Kim Yoo-chul The smartphone market is expected to further heat up here as major Korean handset producers are all set to sell highly-improved handsets ahead of the Apple iPhone 5’s local launch later this week or early next month. On Monday, Pantech unveiled what it claims is the ``best smartphone’’ at its launch event in downtown Seoul. Samsung Electronics plans to introduce the Galaxy Note 2 on Wednesday and top local carriers SK and KT have begun taking pre-orders for the “phablets.” The introduction of the Pantech Vega R3 that supports fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) technology comes a week after its biggest local rival, LG Electronics, released its best-ever smartphone, the Optimus G.

Sep 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

iCourt: Season 2?

Samsung calls for new trial, Apple seeks $707 million more in damages By Kim Yoo-chul, Cho Mu-hyun Samsung Electronics has officially requested a U.S. court to throw out a decision by a San Jose jury, which found the Korean technology giant guilty of copying the look and feel of Apple’s iPhones and iPads. In legal papers submitted to U.S. Federal Judge Lucy Koh late Friday (local time), Samsung claimed the need for a new trial because it believes the jury’s verdict to award $1.05 billion to Apple in damages wasn’t backed sufficiently by testimony and evidence. Apple wasn’t pulling any punches either as it filed for an additional $707 million from Samsung in damages and interest. ``Because the jury verdict form didn’t allow identification of damages on a claim-by-claim basis (per Apple’s request), if even one patent infringement or trade dress issue is overturned on a judgment as a matter of law (JMOL), then the Court needs to vacate the entire damages amount,’’ read Samsung’s letters, which were exclusively obtained by The Korea Times. ``Because the jury verdict

Sep 23, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Apple cuts LCD supply from Samsung

By Kim Yoo-chul Apple has reduced purchases of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for tablet computers from Samsung Display amid the deepening patent disputes, said a leading market research firm, Friday. Market experts said that the move is aimed at minimizing its reliance on Samsung parts An analysis by DisplaySearch showed Apple bought 683,000 display sheets for use in its 9.7-inch iPad tablet from Samsung Display in August this year ― a cut by nearly 50 percent from a month earlier. 9.7-inch displays are only being used in Apple iPads. In May, Samsung Display shipped 2.88 million sheets to Apple, which was a monthly record. But the shipments were down to 1.22 million in July from 2.5 million that Samsung sold to Apple in June, according to the research firm. Last year, the Cupertino-headquartered Apple spent about $7.8 billion on components from Samsung Electronics, mostly on application processors, memory chips and LCD screens. But Apple had begun turning to other suppliers in Japan, Taiwan and other Korean LCD and chipmakers such as LG Display and SK hynix as for

Sep 21, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Patent troll?

Experts criticize Apple’s move to triple damage payment from Samsung By Kim Yoo-chul The patent hearing between Samsung Electronics and Apple in the U.S. on Sept. 21 is expected to be when the world sees the American technology giant turn into a patent monster. The firm is preparing to request record damages from its Korean rival, according to multiple legal sources. Earlier, nine American jurors ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion. Apple plans to ask U.S. Federal Judge Lucy H. Koh to triple the amount, the sources said. The presiding judge has the option to grant enhanced damages of up to 300 percent for “willful patent infringement.” ``The Apple request looks silly. It wants to expand legal battles with rivals rather than putting more resources into product development. Maybe, Apple wants to become another InterDigital ― one of the world’s famed patent trolls,’’ said one industry executive. Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 5 Friday with no big surprises. But its biggest rival, Samsung Electronics, is widening the market gap and Cook’s leadership is be

Sep 19, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

Exclusive Apple asks Samsung to pay $3 bil. in damages

By Kim Yoo-chul Apple’s legal representatives will ask U.S. Federal Judge Lucy H. Koh to triple the damages Samsung has been ordered to pay after losing a patent case to $3 billion in the Sept. 21 judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) hearing in California. This is the biggest ever damage payment sought in a technology patent dispute, multiple legal sources told The Korea Times, Wednesday. Nine U.S. jurors handed Apple a sweeping legal victory in its patent war with Samsung, ordering the Korean firm to pay $1.05 billion in damages for ``willfully’’ copying the iPhone and iPad. The finding of what legal officials say is ``willful infringement’’ enables Apple to seek triple the damages awarded. ``By using that condition, Apple has decided to request the judge to order Samsung to pay more than $3 billion in the hearing on the San Jose verdict on Sept. 21 in California,’’ one senior legal executive, who asked to be quoted as a ``reliable source.’’ ``The decision means Apple want to quickly address the harm that Samsung’s infringing products are said to be causing. As has

Sep 19, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
  • Patent troll?
Tech & Science

Breakthrough

KT seeks to become LTE leader with iPhone 5 By Kim Yoo-chul KT Corporation (KT), the nation’s fixed-line operator, is seeking to gain the upper hand in the heated race for the long-term evolution (LTE) market by capitalizing on Apple’s release of the LTE-enabled iPhone 5. The firm, led by Chairman Lee Suk-chae, was late to enter the exploding local market for the advanced telecom technology LTE. Consequently, it briefly suffered a decline of its share in the promising market. LTE is already a ``big brand,’’ here, with the number of users expecting to reach 16 million by the end of this year, said the Korea Communications Commission. Surely, KT has reason to declare its major comeback in the race for LTE. It has cash for an effective marketing. Also, its top American partner sided with the nation’s second-biggest mobile carrier, said KT officials. Fund managers and stock market analysts have no questions that the situation is getting better with its top U.S. business partner Apple confirming to support KT’s 1.8-gigahertz LTE frequency currently being used in Korea.

Sep 18, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

LG seeks comeback with Optimus G

By Kim Yoo-chul LG Electronics hopes to make a strong comeback in the heated smartphone market with its latest device, the Optimus G, which it believes will help it catch up with rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple. The company lags far behind in the race for Web-connected devices such as smartphones, but the company is now primed for a big fight back at a time when the industry is introducing long-term evolution (LTE) mobile technology. ``We’ve tried very hard to manufacture high-value phones. I can say that LG Electronics is finally prepared to directly compete with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5,” said LG mobile chief Park Jong-seok at a press conference at the Grand Hilton Hotel in northern Seoul, Tuesday. “The Optimus G is the outcome of collaboration between LG’s technology affiliates,’’ he said. At the launch event attended by more than 100 local and overseas media, Park stressed that Optimus G is the best product that LG has produced. The Optimus G has a 4.7-inch in-plane switching (IPS) screen provided by LG Display and is powered by a new 1.5-giga

Sep 18, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
Tech & Science

SK Communications seeking to overtake Facebook

By Kim Yoo-chul SK Communications, the nation’s operator of web portal Nate and blogging website Cyworld, said Tuesday that it will step up efforts to catch up with Facebook by offering differentiated services. ``We’ve lost customers to Facebook. With more updates and steady investment for our existing social network service (SNS) platforms, SK Communications will attract users that went to Facebook back,’’ said company CEO Lee Joo-sik in a news conference at its headquarters in downtown Seoul. ``I can say Cyworld users are the first-generation, while Twitter and Facebook users are the second-generation. But updated Cyworld could be the third-generation in terms of categorization of SNS development,’’ said Lee, adding the firm is aiming to become the trend-setter in the third-generation SNS platform. Cyworld was popular a decade ago. But the social networking site has so far seen a steep fall of page views, mainly due to the sudden rise of Facebook and Twitter. The number of net visitors declined to 15 million in July from 22 million in January this year, while Cyworld

Sep 18, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul
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