“苹果你够了！”谷歌出面为三星撑腰

苹果(Apple)控告三星(Samsung)手机产品侵犯五项专利权，在日前一场该诉讼案的法庭听证会上，一位三星的主管表示，他认为第一代 iPhone 是让人印象深刻但属于利基型(niche)产品；此外有三位 Google 的资深软件工程师也出庭为三星作证。 那 位在2006至2012年间担任三星美国手机部门主管的Dale Sohn表示，第一代iPhone：“非常让人印象深刻，但在当时是只有AT&T独家供应的利基型产品，所以我感觉那会是一个利基型的小众市场；”他指出：“因为要价299美元，我的结论是应该很多人都无法负担如此昂贵的利基型产品。” 然而Shon却在2011年 执行了三星在美国手机市场的策略转变，他聘雇了一个新团队，将产品的推销目标由针对电信营运商的大量销售，转为针对消费者的零售，并推出了新的广告活动： “我们决定在营销活动上投资大量金额，而且不是只有一次，是全年度的...其中一个很大的营销主轴是我们将创造下一件大事(The Next Big Thing)。” Sohn指出：“结合所有这些策略，我们做到了非常了不起的转变，产品在智能手机产品平均达到30%的市占率，而且在智能手机市场的知名度与消费者偏好度都是第一名。” 在接受苹果的律师Bill Lee交叉诘问时，Sohn坦承他无法提供与诉讼中专利相关细节的证词；Lee则展示了一份三星内部的电子报，其中有Sohn在一篇搭配了他自己照片的专栏文章中表示：“打败苹果不再只是一个目标，而是我们的生存策略。” 曾被Sohn雇用、现任Nike品牌经理Todd Pendleton作证指出，在他于2012年初加入三星美国手机部门担任营销主管时，三星的产品还落后于苹果、HTC与RIM (Research in Motion)；Pendleton与Sohn的证词都表示，三星是利用显示器、电池、处理器以及触控笔等硬件，才让Galaxy S系列智能手机取得超越iPhone的优势。 Pendleton并指出，仍在持续播放中的三星“Next Big Thing”广告，从未强调与苹果专利相关的滑动屏幕解锁(slide-to-unlock)、通用搜寻(universal search)以及快速连结(quick links)等：“那些不是智能手机的主要驱动力。” 不过在交叉诘问时，苹果律师Lee展示了一份三星的营销文件，提及该公司是“快速的追随者”；此外另一份文件提及三星的TouchWhiz 界面：“TouchWhiz是iOS的直接剽窃，我的意思是那真的很可悲。” Lee也指出，由Pendleton所执行的一项广告活动扰乱了iPhone 5的发表；对此Pendleton的解释是：“以历史经验来看，每当iPhone上市，我们的销售业绩就会大幅下滑，因此我们的策略是确保我们不会再遭遇销售业绩下降。” 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：Google工程师为三星出庭作证

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{pagination} Google工程师为三星出庭作证 在第一场三星的辩护庭中，Google就被暗示应该要为三星手机内具争议的软件负责；为此Google的搜寻软件工程经理，以及另一位负责某部分Android软件功能的工程师都出庭作证，表示他们并没有抄袭苹果的软件。 举例来说，苹果有一项专利涵盖能同时支持因特网与手机内数据的搜寻，一位Google工程师就陈述了在Android平台内开发类似功能的过程，并指出：“在装置内，搜寻功能被用到的时间只占据所有手机使用时间的2%。” 另 一个Google软件工程师则作证指出，他从2006年起就参与开发类似苹果快速链接专利的功能；该专利技术是描述查找电话号码、地址以及在随机文字中的 其他信息，并将合适的选项如拨打电话或寄送电子邮件呈现在用户面前。Google工程师的证词主要是解释两种所谓的快速连结技术在实际操作方式上的差 异，并反驳侵权的指控。 苹果的律师数度指出，这场诉讼的焦点集中在三星，是因为该公司从那些侵权的手机获得营收与利 润，Google工程师反驳指出：“我在这里所陈述的一切你真的需要采用，你得破解Android的应用程序才行。”第三位Google工程师陈述了 Gmail与Android邮件应用程序，以及该公司独力开发类似苹果专利背景同步技术(background synchronization)功能的方式。 苹果在这场诉讼中要求三星支付21.91亿美元的损失赔偿金，其中有约5.07亿美元是来自于假设三星如果需要根据苹果的专利来进行设计，可能得花费四个月的销售额；但至少有两个作证的Google工程师表示，要改变部分具争议功能的实现方式，可能只需要不到一天的时间。 在先前的法庭上，Google的Android工程经理表示该公司并没有抄袭苹果的专利；而三星也尚未对苹果侵犯其两项专利权的案件进行陈述。这场诉讼的法庭审理预期将持续到本月底。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Google Takes Stand Against Apple，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} Google Takes Stand Against Apple Rick Merritt Samsung exec calls original iPhone "niche" SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Samsung executive said he thought the original iPhone was an impressive but niche product, in testimony on Monday. Three Google senior software engineers also took the stand defending Samsung against charges it infringed five Apple patents. The original iPhone "was very impressive, a nice product [but] at that moment only AT&T distributed it exclusively, so I felt it would be a niche market," said Dale Sohn who was chief executive of Samsung's US cellular group from 2006 through 2012. "With a price of $299 I concluded many people could not afford that kind of very expensive niche product," he said. Nevertheless, Sohn executed "a paradigm shift" in Samsung's approach to the US cellular market in 2011. He hired a new team that shifted from a focus on wholesale sales to carriers to retail sales to consumers with a new ad campaign. "We decided to spend massive marketing dollars not one time but all year long... [on] one big marketing theme [that] we would create the next big thing," Sohn said. With "all those things together we made a very remarkable turnaround so our average market share in smartphones was up to 30%, the No. 1 in smartphone market [and in user] awareness and preference," he added. Under cross-examination by Apple attorney Bill Lee, Sohn admitted he could offer no testimony about the details of the patents in the case. Lee showed a Samsung internal newsletter in which Sohn said in a column next to his picture, "Beating Apple is no longer merely an objective; it is our survival strategy." Todd Pendleton, a Nike brand manager Sohn hired, testified Samsung lagged behind Apple, HTC, and Research in Motion when he joined the US cellular group in early 2012 as chief marketing officer. Pendleton and Sohn both testified about using display, battery, processor, NFC, and stylus hardware to gain an edge over the iPhone with the Galaxy S series. Pendleton said the Next Big Thing ads, still being aired, have never highlighted the Apple patents at issue such as slide-to-unlock, universal search and quick links. "They are not drivers for a smartphone," he said. However in cross-examination, Lee showed a Samsung marketing documents referring to the company's reputsation as a "fast follower." Referring to Samsung's TouchWhiz interface, one document said, "TouchWhiz is a direct rip of iOS. I mean it's pathetic really." Lee also noted an ad campaign Pendleton launched to disrupt the iPhone 5 launch. "Historically, during an iPhone launch our sales dipped dramatically, so our strategy was to ensure we didn’t have another dip in sales," Pendleton said. Android search, Gmail developers testify The first full day of Samsung's defense began by suggesting Google is responsible for much of the disputed software features on its handsets. Google software engineering managers for search, email, and other Android features testified they were responsible for some of the features in question and that they did not copy Apple's software. For example, one patent covers a feature that searches both the Internet and data on a handset. A google engineer described the process for developing similar functions in Android but noted "on device [search] is only used about 2% of the time." Another Google software engineer testified about her work that started in 2006 on functions similar to Apple's quick links patent. The patent describes ways of finding phone numbers, addresses, and other information in random text and presenting users appropriate options for making a call or sending an email, for example. Much of the testimony tried to establish differences in ways the so-called quick links are implemented as a defense against infringement. Apple attorneys noted several times the case is focused on Samsung because it received the revenue and profits from the handsets accused of infringement. One Google engineer pushed back on that argument saying, "Everything I described here you really need to use or else you will break applications in Android." A third Google engineer described Gmail and Android mail applications and ways the independently developed features are similar to Apple's patented background synchronization. About $507 million of Apple's total $2.191 billion in requested damages depend in part on an assumption Samsung would lose sales for four months if it had to design around the Apple patents. At least two of the Google engineers said changing the way some of the features in question are implemented could take less than a day. The defense began late Friday when Google's engineering manager for Android said the search giant did not copy Apple's patents. Samsung has yet to present its case that Apple infringes two of its patents. The trial is expected to continue through the end of the month.