[spreaker episode_id=1413766 type=standard width=100% color=0068c9 autoplay=false]
I joked today on my podcast that like avoiding buying ‘blood diamonds’ consumers maybe should avoid ‘Patent lawsuit phones’ to teach companies a lesson that they are tired of lawsuits and product bans. You can click on it here: The Chris Voss Show Podcast 27.
Apple won big yesterday against Samsung almost $1.5 Billion. On the flip side of the coin Apple needs to realize in all these other suits its tied up in that as most attorneys know anything can happen with a judge and jury. Same with appeals. Lawsuits are a dicey expensive game.
In South Korea in Apples spat with Samsung BOTH companies have lost in losing the ability to sell certain products in that market. In that end Consumers have been the losers. Until consumers vote with their pocketbooks little will happen to reform patent suits. The SAD part? According to the infographic below there appears to be no major phone maker NOT locked in a lawsuit.
In the end its up to the consumer to vote with their pocketbook on the company that makes the best and most innovative products, even if the phones are tainted with lawsuit/attorney ‘blood money.’
I’d like to see a companion infographic showing the law firms handling these suits ‡¡‡
I love the infographic, Chris.
While i haven’t studied it in detail yet, it instantly gets the point across that this is a confusing, messy business. Which comes to your question about whether consumers should send a message to manufacturers about all of this. The problem is, as the infographic demonstrates, it is all so confusing to even well informed consumers. Just who are we to reward and punish when even legal minds and frameworks can’t agree.
I know your “blood diamonds” comment was tongue-in-cheek, but of course the analogy would be extreme in this matter. The problem is, at the end of the day, consumers just want good products. Even when social and legal issues are more clear, most consumers stick with their desire for a good product at a good price, and very few let the social and legal issues affect their purchase decision – and the “conscience” factors are so difficult for almost all of us to get our heads around.
Heck, I purchased an HTC smartphone here in Australia (even though many HTC products are banned in the US as a result of legal action by Apple) because it was the only way that I could get a 4G device. Nokia, who ironically are not banned in the US, and did bring a 4G device to market in the form of the Lumia 900, made the crazy decision that the Lumia 900 they brought to the Australian market was not 4G capable! Sheesh, it’s enough to drive you nuts trying to keep up with all of this – and that’s for those of use who spend a lot of time trying to keep up with it all.
I saw the Samsung S III I buy it if by contract was over tomorrow twice as big as my Apple iPhone 4 32 GB puls it cost as much as my iPhone new $250.00 saw it at Staples