NEWS ANALYSIS: Apple has been embroiled in patent-infringement lawsuits for years now with mixed results that haven't done much to improve its bottom line. They certainly haven't done anything to improve relations with its competitors. Isn't it about time the company eased up on the litigation?
It
seems every week there's a news story cropping up saying that
Apple has either launched a lawsuit against a mobile competitor or that
competitor has launched a lawsuit against the iPhone maker. Those are usually
followed by a court ruling made by a judge halfway around the world, deciding
if a patent brought before him or her is violated by a respective mobile
product. The litigation never ends.
So
far, much of the lawsuit activity has been between Apple and Samsung. Both
companies are performing exceedingly well in the mobile market, and each firm's
products are threats to the other's. However, so far, neither company has been
able to gain the upper hand, and it appears the chances of the lawsuits coming
to an end any time soon are slim. Looking at the rest of 2012, it appears Apple
and Samsung will be waging court battles in even more wide-ranging
jurisdictions around the world.
But
it's about time all that stops. Apple should realize that its lawsuits are not
helping its operation in any way. It should discontinue all the
patent-infringement lawsuits it has pending against Samsung and Motorola, along
with any other mobile patent infringement suits it is contemplating. The
lawsuits are hurting Apple and its standing in the industry. It's about time it
moves on.
Read
on to find out why:
1. It isn't winning anything
If
Apple were engaging in lawsuits that were actually helping the company win
something, then sticking with them might make sense. However,
Apple has won only a few preliminary injunctions, and in other cases lost
legal battles. If Apple isn't winning anything yet, there's a good chance it
won't win any big rulings in the coming months. Why not just cut its losses now
and move on?
2. It's costing the company boatloads of
money
Although
Apple hasn't divulged how much it has spent on its lawsuits, it's believed that
the company could have spent more than $100 million on a single lawsuit against
HTC alone. That's cash Apple can spend on research, product development and
acquisitions. Those all would be a much better use of its money.
3. It makes Apple look bad
Companies
have a right to protect their intellectual property through patent-infringement
lawsuits. But it looks like Apple is using lawsuits to try to gain and maintain
competitive advantage as a relative newcomer to the mobile phone industry.
Historically, Microsoft has been that kind of company, and it's been called a
bully because of it. Does Apple really want to be Microsoft? Absolutely not.
4. It might end the suits against it
Part
of the reason Apple is engaged in so many legal battles right now is that the
defendants, namely Samsung, have been launching their own lawsuits against the
iPhone maker alleging patent infringement to protect themselves. Maybe it's
time Apple ends all the lawsuits it has brought to court to see if the
companies it's battling will back off as well. There's a good chance they
might.
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