Ina Fried

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Apple Patent Head: We Don’t Want to License Clones

The head of Apple’s patent licensing effort testified on Friday that Apple warned Samsung in 2010 that it believed the Korean company was copying the iPhone.

Boris Teksler said that Apple was shocked when it saw the first Galaxy phone that came from a company it considers a close partner.

“We didn’t understand how a trusted partner would build a copycat product like that,” Teksler testified, indicating that late CEO Steve Jobs and then COO Tim Cook spoke to Samsung about the issue.

Apple showed a presentation that Apple gave to Samsung in August 2010, showing what it believed were the Apple patents being infringed by Android’s application framework. In the ongoing patent suit, Apple is arguing that Samsung owes Apple billions for infringing on patents related to the iPhone and iPad.

Teksler testified there were three categories of patents held by Apple: Those required for standards, those for core computing and those related to Apple’s unique user interface. Teksler said that Apple has no interest in licensing those patents.

“It’s what we don’t wish to share and don’t want others to mimic,” Teksler said, adding those patents shouldn’t need to be licensed by a company building a product that is not a knock-off.

On cross examination, Teksler was asked if he prepared the PowerPoint shown to Samsung.

“I believe it was Keynote, but yes,” he said, referring to Apple’s presentation software.

Teksler followed several other witnesses on Friday, including an MIT marketing professor and several patent experts.

He is among the last witnesses that Apple plans to call during this part of its case, with its final witnesses due to wrap up on Monday. Samsung is also set to begin its defense on Monday.


Apple versus Samsung Full Coverage

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