‘Ridiculous’ says Australia judge on Apple-Samsung 3G dispute

The court is supposed to be an august institution, but what actually drove an Australian judge to dismiss the current Apple-Samsung dispute concerning 3G as “ridiculous”, hoping that both companies will be able to settle it in mediation. Yes sir, that is what Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett called the 3G dispute Down Under, as Samsung sued Apple, touting that the iPhone creator actually infringed upon a trio of patents that cover data transmission over the 3G wireless spectrum. This was after Apple’s laid claim that Samsung nicked their design ideas for tablets and smartphones.

To put Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett’s exact words into print, “Why on earth are these proceedings going ahead? It’s just ridiculous. Why shouldn’t I order the parties to mediation?” She hopes to receive an answer before the week is over, and so too, I guess, the millions of people who are following this case with close interest.

Has innovation died with the introduction of patent wars?