A Samsung Gear Live watch is seen on display during the Google I/O Developers Conference at Moscone Center. (Photo : Getty Images/Stephen Lam)
Samsung is now under fire after filing for a smartwatch patent using Apple Watch figures. The drawings suggested that the engineers took some inspiration from their rivals in business.
A Samsung patent has recently appeared that seemed to suggest that they were using similar images of the Apple Watch. According to the official website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the patent was titled Wearable Device. The images did not look identical to Samsung's Galaxy Gear collection.
The patent was filed in Jan. 29, and it was published on Aug. 4. The manufacturer wrote in the patent that these figures were views illustrating different shapes, structures, and materials of a first strap portion, or a second strap portion of the device.
These patent figures were not usually the important part of a patent application. The drawings strongly suggested that the Samsung engineers took a bit of inspiration from their rival's smartwatch. According to the official website of IDC, the Apple Watch is the number one selling smartwatch in the market with 72 percent, while Samsung was only second with seven percent.
The two companies have had a lot of disputes specifically over patents and intellectual property recently. In 2012, a Californian jury found that Samsung had infringed three of their rival's design patents for the iPhone. Recently, the manufacturer had appealed that case to the Supreme Court.
In other Samsung related news, a group of design industry professionals came out for Apple in a patent dispute. More than 100 designers and educators supported Apple and they signed on to a new court brief. These included famous fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Parsons School of Design industrial design director, and many more.
The professionals told the US Supreme Court in a statement that Apple deserved the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Samsung has paid that price for infringing the patented designs of the iPhone. They added that a product's distinctive look could drive a buyer to purchase the gadget.
Samsung spokeswoman Danielle Meister Cohen told Reuters in an email that if this is not reversed, this could lead to diminished innovation. This could lead to a design troll patent litigation, and it could also negatively impact the economy and consumers.
Check out Samsung's Gear S2 official TVC video below:
