blog Ruslan Kogan only started selling brands other than his own through his web site — including Apple and Samsung — several weeks ago, but it appears the maverick Melbourne-based entrepreneur has already attracted Apple’s ire.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports today that Kogan has been caught up in the ongoing Australian lawsuit between Apple and Samsung over the Korean electronics giant’s supposed iPad look-alike, the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The website of the newspaper reports:
“Apple Australia’s law firm, Freehills, sent Kogan a letter, seen by Fairfax Media, accusing it of infringing Apple’s iPad patents in Australia, and of misleading and deceptive conduct, by selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Freehills said the Samsung model was substantially similar “to the ‘get up’ and packaging of the iPad”.”
Seems a bit weird that Apple’s pinning Kogan for selling Samsung gear — but not its own iPad — but then we wouldn’t be surprised at anything that happens in this crazy ongoing patent war at the moment. We can only hope the pair sort their stuff out before the iPhone 5 launches in Australia. If launch day comes and goes with no new Apple hotness, we’re betting there’s going to be rioting in the streets.
Image credit: Kogan Technologies
Christ, this Apple/Samsung dust-up is reaching the point of farcical. I can’t tell if Apple has a legitimate case for this, or they’re just deliberately starting a patent/trade lawsuit for the purposes of stifling tablet competition.
And asking for commercial-in-confidence information regarding something they have no need, rhyme or reason for (as in Kogan’s sales data in respect of the Tab), that’s just insanely stupid. Their lawyers must have been smoking something serious to think they’d actually get away with that demand.
+1
Apple sicken me, they really do. i hope the iPhone 5 does get banned here, just temporarily. Apple started this patent war, Samsung isnt taking this lying down, i hope they get whats coming to them.
Demanding a retailer or e-tailer stop selling certain products is a disgrace i agree. they have absolutely no legal recourse to do so. Apple has gone way too far here.
To paraphrase Ruslan:
“Kogan is Apple’s Bitch”
That headline was in consideration for this article … but I figured I might get sued too ;)
One really has to laugh at Corporate behaviour. It is much like two three year old kiddies in a sand box arguing over whose sand castle they have built and it has degraded to “I thought of it first!” Now who is the Mommy that will have to come along and destroy what they have made before they realise that the argument was pointless in the first place.
Really, does Corporate behaviour have to be so juvenile? Obviously so, as the petulance of CEOs shows it is more common than not.
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