The resignation of Apple chief Steve Jobs dominated the headlines this week, however the firm also got mentions for ongoing patent litigation against Samsung that saw the South Korean vendor point to a Stanley Kubrick movie in defense of its Galaxy Tab.
Jobs finally stepped down from the company he founded after an eight month medical leave of absence. He gave strong backing to successor Tim Cook, who has been at the helm since January, and pledged to remain involved with the firm as chairman of the board and an “Apple employee.”
Initial stock market jitters about the change, which was announced after the NASDAQ closed on Wednesday, proved short lived as analysts claimed to already be braced for Jobs’ departure.
Samsung featured heavily in Apple-related news this week, with a Netherlands court ordering a ban on sales of three Galaxy smartphones in the majority of Europe because they breach an Apple photo viewing patent. The South Korean vendor claimed a partial victory because the court rejected two other patent claims from Apple.
However, it lodged a bizarre defense in a separate case relating to the design of its Galaxy Tab, claiming Apple has no rights because the iPad copied devices seen in Stanley Kubrick’s 1969 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In its home country, Samsung was one of several firms linked with government plans to develop its own open-source operating system. Rival LG Electronics was also named as a potential partner for the scheme, which would initially target PCs, but could be extended to smartphones if successful.
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