Business Insider: Samsung Has Been Copying Everyone Forever

[onehandle]

There's an actual debate going on right now about whether or not Samsung copies its design from Apple. This is nuts.

Of course Samsung swipes ideas from Apple, you just have to look at their designs side by side.

The funny thing about the Apple versus Samsung debate is that Samsung has been stealing from everyone for years now. It's not an Apple exclusive thing.

Are all of Samsung's designs stolen? Of course not. That's not what we're saying. But, there are a lot of products through the years that were clearly inspired by a rival.

http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-copies-2012-1?op=1

Samsung will be writing a check for Billions.

[NYC_SKP]

1. "Stealing" is at the heart of innovation....

Practically every invention or design is derivative of earlier designs.

Too bad that our culture has lost the thread that embraces that concept.

Read the free E-Book, "Free Culture" by Lawrence Lessig:

http://www.free-culture.cc/

[trotsky]

3. Bingo, and though the OP won't want to hear it...

Apple has done it too. *gasp!*

[onehandle]

5. Normally I would agree. However this was not about evolution over time...

This was about out and out theft of a current product that took years to develop.

With Samsung, one day it did not exist and the next day it did. Their internal documents talk of a 'crisis of design' and that they would 'do what Apple did.' Google, Nokia and others warned Samsung to not blatantly copy overnight. Samsung did not listen. There is so much overwhelming evidence, it's ridiculous.

This post from a couple of years ago illustrates what happened well before Samsung took it too far:

http://www.marco.org/2010/08/19/a-smartphone-retrospective

Apple isn't suing the others. They were smarter about their copying.

[warrior1]

2. same thing happens with cars

http://gemssty.com/2006/10/29/top-10-copycat-cars/

[Fumesucker]

4. The true secret of originality lies in concealing your sources.. n/t

[hifiguy]

6. "Good composers borrow,

great composers steal." - Igor Stravinsky

[orwell]

7. Everyone steals...

...not everyone gets caught.

Does anyone remember the Xerox Star?

[Egalitarian Thug]

8. This would be funny if it weren't so sad. The idea of an electronics manufacturer being

libel for this when it is standard practice across the industry, and has been for at least 50 years, is absurd on its face. But the avalanche of copy-cat lawsuits that will follow will just crush what anemic innovation remains for years to come.

This reminds me of when Microshit went nation shopping looking for some country that would let them own the word windows.