Professor Sunder Comments on Apple-Samsung Patent Suit for Voice of America

Professor Madhavi Sunder commented for a Voice of America Special English Technology Report on the legal battle between technology giants Apple and Samsung.  Last month, a federal district court in California found that Samsung violated several patents owned by Apple and awarded more than $1 billion in damages, but more recently a court in Japan found that Samsung had not violated Apple's patents. Professor Sunder said that the real issue is whether intellectual property rights ought to include protection of a device's look and design in addition to its utility.

"For Apple to say its design -- which becomes a new industry standard, the standard of sleek, cool, modern gadgets -- is something that only one company can have an exclusive right over, this is a real problem," she said. "And it raises the real question of whether or not we should be protecting designs with patents in the first place."

Madhavi Sunder is a Professor of Law at King Hall whose special interests included intellectual property, law and culture studies, women's rights, and international intellectual property.

Voice of America report

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