This isn't even an apology in the slightest. It's only on the UK site as well. (I've checked .de .com .fr and it's no where to be seen, which makes sense if you are Apple).
However, if they are going to display it only in UK, then they should have at least spelt "judgment" correctly. They use "/uk/legal-judgement/" (Over in UK there is only a single "e" not two).
Anyway, totally not an apology. It looks more like an accusation and a reassertion how bitter they feel about the verdict, by cherry picking quotes to suite them.
------
(Edit: In the interest of setting the point straight since this is the top comment and it seems to be getting wrongfully upvoted, Apple didn't legally have to "make an apology". They just had to make it clear that Samsung did not infringe Apples registered design [1]. However, I do think that in spite of quoting the judgment extract verbatim, they still fall short of this requirement, since they continue for 3 more paragraph drilling out other points that supported Apple).
So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement,
other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet,
Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad.
1) The order from the court was for the UK site only. This makes sense - it was a UK ruling from a UK court which has no jurisdiction in any other countries.
There are separate cases in places like Germany. It make no sense for the UK courts to force Apple to make statements in other countries covering rulings made under laws that don't apply there and which may (and in some cases do) contradict rulings made under the laws of those countries.
2) There was no demand for an apology and I'm not sure why you think that there is. The court is very specific about what has to be said which is that Apple make it clear that the court ruled that Samsung did not copy the iPad. They also include wording which must be in there and details on the font size and that there must be a link to the actual ruling.
3) Judgements is a perfectly valid spelling here in the UK, they're used interchangeably. Check justice.gov.uk if you don't believe me - you get significant numbers of hits for both. EDIT: I bow to the greater knowledge of others here - both spellings are common but it seems that judgment is the one used for legal rulings.
Is a forced apology ever really an apology? I don't see the point in forcing it.
Edit: Apparently apple were never ordered to make an 'apology'. They were ordered to make a 'publicity order'. They used the EXACT wording[1] as ordered by the court, as well as quotes from a judge in the matter.
If I’m reading the judgment correctly, the court never asked for an apology. The court asked Apple to present certain specific information – which Apple did. That’s all.
If you are going to get snotty about spelling (you are wrong by the way, "judgement" is acceptable in the UK, a less common spelling than "judgment" certainly but not incorrect), then it is best not to end with a spelling mistake of your own. The word is "suit" not "suite", in this case the words are not interchangeable.
"A judge said we must apology because we are cooler and so Samsung didn't copy because they aren't cool. But other judges said that we are cooler and Samsung still copied us! So we must be right!" Sincerely: a 6 year old.
1. Made on the home page itself
2. In a 14pt font which (according to http://www.getallfix.com/2011/11/convert-empxpt-and-in-css/) should be some 19px high.
Instead this is a link to the statement (in a div with the class sosume - little gag there) in a 11px font size... not to mention the fact that the additional paragraphs after the statement itself somewhat go against the spirit of the order.
I couldn't agree more, Apples response here is childish and to be quite frank doesn't do much in the way of apologizing to Samsung. I for one hope that they get found in contempt of court for this, I doubt very much it's what the presiding judge had in mind.
I don't really get why everyone is so down on Apple on HN (I am a Google/Android user FWIW).
Sure they have pursued some questionable patent cases - but it is hard to deny they are one of the pre-eminent creators and makers in the world today - they have been truly innovative and brought massive change to multiple technology streams. They are about as far from being a hoarding patent troll as one could imagine yet that is how they seem to be portrayed in some parts of social media.
Even if you strongly disagree with their approach to suing competitors, I would have thought the real innovation and change Apple has brought to the scene would count for something and result in some more balanced coverage.
I think some of the specific patent cases Apple is pursuing against Samsung are a bit ridiculous (rounded corners), but I also think when you look at what Samsung has done as a whole, it is pretty clear they were ripping off Apple designs for a while (try and play spot the difference between a Apple 3GS and a Galaxy S1). Maybe Apple had to pursue the more silly specific patent cases because there was no way to patent the overall look-and-feel of a device (no lawyer here).
You could have written the same about MS in the 90s.
It's not just that they're suing folks, it's that their actions seem to be deliberately designed to suppress the market and suppress competition. It doesn't feel genuine.
And while they do innovate, I don't think they do half as much they're given credit for. They didn't invent the smartphone, nor the mp3 player, yet most people likely think they did.
The reason a lot of the technology crowd is against Apple is that Apple get incorrectly attributed as innovators. For those that actually work at the innovative frontier of the software industry, seeing the wrong company getting credit for other peoples hard work is infuriating.
One do not see the design crowd being angry at Apple. Those that work with design, tend to agree that apple is innovative in the area of design and user interaction. In the area of design, apple is correct to be attributed for being innovative and thus little hate.
But technology wise, apple has brought forth close to nothing in innovation, and has brought forth a bunch of obvious patent instead. Added, they lock down devices so to almost taunt those that want to innovate. Thus, As an technology developer on the market, Apple is a horrible company. The only positive thing Apple has given to technology developers has been the marketing power, which has opened up monetization for areas like smartphones and other handheld devices.
I think in this case, the story is more about Apple's disregard for the spirit of the court order than being down on Apple in general. I'm generally an Apple fan, but this seems kind of petty and oddly antagonistic towards the court.
I'm pretty sure a significant minority (majority even?) of HN readers make their living by writing software for Apple devices, or use them every day at work and at home as their technology of choice.
I think Apple's problem is, at least in part, one of standards - we hold them up to very high standards, both technology-wise, and also at an ethical level, Apple give out the message that they are "the good guys".
When someone you love turns out to be not quite as perfect as you imagined, the love can turn to hate or anger very quickly.
Is there a reason the OP thinks this is the apology? It isn't named as such, the URL doesn't help, and they don't apologise at all. It's just a summary of their legal battles with Samsung. How has the OP come to the conclusion this is the apology (am I missing something)?
You are correct, it just the whiny entitletard fandroids who have imagined an apology was forthcoming. They are as wrong about this as they are in their fantasy that Samsung does not steal product designs wholesale from Apple.
<strike>This does not say 'Samsung do not infringe on our patent', which I had thought it was supposed to. It says 'this judge who think s our stuff is cool also thinks Samsung do not infringe'</strike>
Either way the whole thing's ridiculous in the extreme. A flat panel with a screen isn't a novel design whoever made it, the magic is getting all the bits small and low-power and high resolution and bright and powerful enough for it to work.
-EDIT-
The actual text as specified by the judge forms the first part of the page, the rest is Apple giving it a little PR spin and casting doubt on the whole thing.
Using the 1 billion US judgement as an example of how ou've been wronged is a bit of a stretch though, that thing's leakier than a colander.
Well. That left a bad taste in my mouth. It was low and base, sounded like Apple clutching at strings -- trying to make the convince the public through almost-smear tactics.
Im pretty sure they will have to post an actual apology which will be compliant with the court order. Because this has less than nothing to do with that. Try again, Apple.
It is on the Apple UK homepage - right at the bottom: http://www.apple.com/uk/ ("Samsung/Apple UK judgement" link). Wonderfully its in a 'div' with a class 'sosumi'.
Based on the wording of the order, it would seem that the statement should be on their homepage, not a link to it. Of course, I'm sure Apple's legal counsel has decided their actions are within the scope of the ruling, so we'll have to see if Samsung asks a judge to declare them not in compliance with the order.
There is actually a minuscule link to the document at the very bottom of the http://apple.co.uk/ homepage, as "Samsung/Apple UK judgement" next to "Privacy Policy" and "Use of Cookies".
This is pretty much what I expected they'd do, but with the over obvious humour turned down and the sarcasm turned up to 11. It's definitely not an apology, and they did cherry pick the judges quotes very nicely.
[+] [-] chrisacky|13 years ago|reply
However, if they are going to display it only in UK, then they should have at least spelt "judgment" correctly. They use "/uk/legal-judgement/" (Over in UK there is only a single "e" not two).
Anyway, totally not an apology. It looks more like an accusation and a reassertion how bitter they feel about the verdict, by cherry picking quotes to suite them.
------
(Edit: In the interest of setting the point straight since this is the top comment and it seems to be getting wrongfully upvoted, Apple didn't legally have to "make an apology". They just had to make it clear that Samsung did not infringe Apples registered design [1]. However, I do think that in spite of quoting the judgment extract verbatim, they still fall short of this requirement, since they continue for 3 more paragraph drilling out other points that supported Apple).
Sincerity at it's most "righteous":[+] [-] Tyrannosaurs|13 years ago|reply
1) The order from the court was for the UK site only. This makes sense - it was a UK ruling from a UK court which has no jurisdiction in any other countries.
There are separate cases in places like Germany. It make no sense for the UK courts to force Apple to make statements in other countries covering rulings made under laws that don't apply there and which may (and in some cases do) contradict rulings made under the laws of those countries.
2) There was no demand for an apology and I'm not sure why you think that there is. The court is very specific about what has to be said which is that Apple make it clear that the court ruled that Samsung did not copy the iPad. They also include wording which must be in there and details on the font size and that there must be a link to the actual ruling.
3) Judgements is a perfectly valid spelling here in the UK, they're used interchangeably. Check justice.gov.uk if you don't believe me - you get significant numbers of hits for both. EDIT: I bow to the greater knowledge of others here - both spellings are common but it seems that judgment is the one used for legal rulings.
Actual ruling here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2012/1339.html
(Note that the appeals court changed 6 months to 1 month but upheld the link from the homepage).
[+] [-] coob|13 years ago|reply
Edit: Apparently apple were never ordered to make an 'apology'. They were ordered to make a 'publicity order'. They used the EXACT wording[1] as ordered by the court, as well as quotes from a judge in the matter.
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2012/1339.html#para8...
[+] [-] arctangent|13 years ago|reply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_(law)
[+] [-] arrrg|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] epo|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] duiker101|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] amvp|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shanelja|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] smegel|13 years ago|reply
Sure they have pursued some questionable patent cases - but it is hard to deny they are one of the pre-eminent creators and makers in the world today - they have been truly innovative and brought massive change to multiple technology streams. They are about as far from being a hoarding patent troll as one could imagine yet that is how they seem to be portrayed in some parts of social media.
Even if you strongly disagree with their approach to suing competitors, I would have thought the real innovation and change Apple has brought to the scene would count for something and result in some more balanced coverage.
I think some of the specific patent cases Apple is pursuing against Samsung are a bit ridiculous (rounded corners), but I also think when you look at what Samsung has done as a whole, it is pretty clear they were ripping off Apple designs for a while (try and play spot the difference between a Apple 3GS and a Galaxy S1). Maybe Apple had to pursue the more silly specific patent cases because there was no way to patent the overall look-and-feel of a device (no lawyer here).
Anyway just my 2c
[+] [-] Nursie|13 years ago|reply
It's not just that they're suing folks, it's that their actions seem to be deliberately designed to suppress the market and suppress competition. It doesn't feel genuine.
And while they do innovate, I don't think they do half as much they're given credit for. They didn't invent the smartphone, nor the mp3 player, yet most people likely think they did.
[+] [-] belorn|13 years ago|reply
One do not see the design crowd being angry at Apple. Those that work with design, tend to agree that apple is innovative in the area of design and user interaction. In the area of design, apple is correct to be attributed for being innovative and thus little hate.
But technology wise, apple has brought forth close to nothing in innovation, and has brought forth a bunch of obvious patent instead. Added, they lock down devices so to almost taunt those that want to innovate. Thus, As an technology developer on the market, Apple is a horrible company. The only positive thing Apple has given to technology developers has been the marketing power, which has opened up monetization for areas like smartphones and other handheld devices.
[+] [-] zevyoura|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] EwanToo|13 years ago|reply
I think Apple's problem is, at least in part, one of standards - we hold them up to very high standards, both technology-wise, and also at an ethical level, Apple give out the message that they are "the good guys".
When someone you love turns out to be not quite as perfect as you imagined, the love can turn to hate or anger very quickly.
[+] [-] meaty|13 years ago|reply
Apple have tried their best to seek inspiration from the above. That is why people are hard on Apple.
[+] [-] mike-cardwell|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] duiker101|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scotty79|13 years ago|reply
Yeah. Suing everybody around, blocking customers from buying products they want and http://www.5min.com/Video/Apples-Incredible-Great-Best-Gorge...
I wonder why less and less people likes them.
[+] [-] k-mcgrady|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] epo|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrud|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Nursie|13 years ago|reply
Either way the whole thing's ridiculous in the extreme. A flat panel with a screen isn't a novel design whoever made it, the magic is getting all the bits small and low-power and high resolution and bright and powerful enough for it to work.
-EDIT- The actual text as specified by the judge forms the first part of the page, the rest is Apple giving it a little PR spin and casting doubt on the whole thing.
Using the 1 billion US judgement as an example of how ou've been wronged is a bit of a stretch though, that thing's leakier than a colander.
[+] [-] lunchladydoris|13 years ago|reply
As someone who has been a guest in the UK for nearly a decade, to me this reads like someone, as the British say, taking the piss.
[+] [-] russgray|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sparkinson|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dakrisht|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bruceboughton|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] macmac|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shedside|13 years ago|reply
[Edit: sorry, that's the initial judgement. This, I believe, is the order regarding the apology: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Patents/2012/2049.html]
[+] [-] jrmg|13 years ago|reply
Apple has added its own extra paragraphs though, which do change the tone.
[+] [-] Tinned_Tuna|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zeru|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jofo25|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] theallan|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tallanvor|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pluies|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jakobe|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zerostar07|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] semibored|13 years ago|reply
http://www.apple.com/uk/legal-judgement/ http://www.webcitation.org/6BhNrGeHJ
http://www.apple.com/uk/ http://www.webcitation.org/6BhO1wX0o
http://www.apple.com http://www.webcitation.org/6BhO36WTz
[+] [-] nicholassmith|13 years ago|reply
Did anyone seriously expect Apple to be contrite?
[+] [-] dutchbrit|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|13 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] klrr|13 years ago|reply