MacDailyNews - Where Mac news comes first

Hmm...I have to imagine it's going to be tough for LG to win this one, simply because the entire industry is probably going to move to handsets that look more or less like this--an iPod sized brick with a touchscreen. From that perspective, they're all going to look more or less the same.

iPhone looks like a copy of LG's phone. Sue Apple just like Apple sued companies that made MP3 players that looked like the ipod.

...devil wears Prada

I dont beleive the details in aethetics of the iPhone UI has been finalised yet. It was one thing that struck me as being not that great, I'm talking specifically about the icons as shown in the above pic. They just don't seem that nice to me.
I'm thinking the iPhone will be released with different icons, and this is just to stop people from copying it in the mean time.

And how many phones has LG copies? I don't think they invented the flip phone, probably didn't invent voice mail, likely didn't discover that a good location for the microphone was at the bottom of the phone, and I'm almost sure they don't own the patent for a rectangular-shaped communications device.

Sounds more like, "Hey, let's threaten the iPhone with a lawsuit so our phone can get some free pub, too!"

I have a Devil of a boss who uses the Prada phone.

If the only similarity is the form factor and full screen I highly doubt there could be any kind of lawsuit. We already read that other phone manufacturer will have to go with full screen form factor but the patents are what is important here. LG does not have a patent on a device with such and such dimension and a full screen: you can't patent those things and we all know how many so-called iPod killers try to use similar form factor as well: Apple cannot sue them for this.

By all appearances, the two phones share a similar box-like design, but I'm thinking that's where the similarities end. The Prada phone looks very basic, and like it's seriously lacking in functionality compared to the iPhone. The interfaces don't even look similar, based on what I see. Sorry LG ... you lose this one.

P.S. - Magic Word - "Take" as in, "Don't take me for a fool!"

I can't decide if MDN types blind-folded or they just rush these out the door as soon as possible... Parda?

I never thought there was another phone on a market as similar. Never heard of LC's phone. Need a demo.

Ah, nice and quick fix MDN. You're on the ball.

So, any wagers on how fast LC will lost it's 5th spot?

How dot they look "the same"? If this is "the same", then both ripped off the design of my 1980s TI pocket calculator: it, too, was flat, rectangular, and black.

Sue Apple just like Apple sued companies that made MP3 players that looked like the ipod.

Please name one lawsuit based on "they have the same/similar dimension of an iPod" or "they have a screen on the top as our iPod" or "they are white as an iPod".

According to the documentation on the IF website, The International Forum Design Product Design Award for 2007, the official award ceremony is on March 15th 2007.

Am I misunderstanding something?

Also even if it was shown to the public as they state (likely when entered) the development of the iPhone would have already been well underway.

"LG has yet to reveal specifications of the Prada phone, which the firm looks to market soon. Yet, its exterior was shown to the public when it won the International Forum Design Product Design Award for 2007."

Huh? They haven't revealed the specifications, but Apple copied them? How could they copy something they've never seen? And how did they win an award for best design of 2007 when it's only January 16? Weird world we live in.

Wow, they do look ver similar... Anyone know when the LG phone was first shown?

Hopefully the LG phone will be available on T-Mobile.

I love Apple, their phone looks cool, but I WILL NEVER SWITCH TO CINGULAR OR ATT!

NEVER!

"Experts predict that if the two phones share functionalities on top of looks, LG might file a complaint," Tae-gyu reports. "LG has yet to reveal specifications of the Prada phone, which the firm looks to market soon. Yet, its exterior was shown to the public when it won the International Forum Design Product Design Award for 2007."

If they haven't released specifications or functionality, how could Apple have copied it?

Nevermind, I found it.

First pictures of LG Prada phone, Dec. 19, 2006:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/first-pictures-of-the-lg-prada-phone-222990.php

They'll lose, because Apple would be able to document the design process and countersue for possible patent violations, but they may be dreaming about cross-licenses instead.

LG is waiting to look at iPhone specifications, copy them, THENCE claim Apple copied theirs and file a lawsuit.

Well, if the features of the LG phone weren't released until late December 2006, I can't see how Apple would have just conjured up an iPhone in that short period of time. Get real. Apple said it was what, two years in development (at least), as well as Apple holding over 200 patents on the design.

Two hundred patents.

So I suppose it will come down to patent rights and infringement. US patents or international patents?

Two hundred patents. I feel secure that Apple has nothing to worry about.

People have been begging Apple for an iPhone for years. They finally deliver, lightyears ahead of anyones expectation and now, all that you read about is: they copied it, stole it, or it isn't good enough, or it costs too much.

Envy and jealousy will not bring Apple down. Got that all you red ink losers!!!!!!!!!

How many pots have you smoken???

Oh come on...don't all cell phones look alike nowadays?

Apple will probably sue LG

Apple has patented the touchscreen phone idea

I haven't heard of any LG patent for touchscreen devices

LG probably wants a deal with Apple saying we won't sue you if you don't sue us . . .

Good lock, LG. But LG is not going to get that deal from Apple.

Apple will righfully sue the pants of LG all the way to Seul, Korea.

Good bye LG. Start building a cash reserve to pay Apple's licesnses.

I don't think anyone will think Apple copied LG... There is not even a possibility that Apple could have put iPhone together between Dec 19, when LG showed their phone and January 9, when Apple debuted iPhone.

It is a bummer though that both companies were developing a very similar design... Of course, even looking at the first shots and demos, the iPhone considerably trumps LG's design, but LG did show it first.. Maybe LG studied some of Apple's patent applications and tried to copy them before Apple launched iPhone.. If I remember correctly these touch-screen Apple patents started showing up around last Summer.

Didn't understand the French, but he sure seemed to have difficulty with that phone. Phil, on the other hand, never had a single mis-touch. It works absolutely amazingly... for a pre-release product.

So....

Sue Apple because Prada's phone looks likes a black 30GB iPod (chrome back) with an Aqua interface?

I laugh.

...

Notice the crappy dialer...no letters on the keypad.

Wonder if Steve Jobs knew about this and decided to put a hold on the iLife 07 demo at MacWorld to show the iPhone six months before they planned to release it?

They say that they're undecided about court action, but they already know that they won't, otherwise they would declare that they have filed a suit.

It's just a quick publicity stunt, LG are trying to bask in Apple's glory for a day or two.

Way back in 2003, I crapped a turd that looked remarkably like that LG phone. I'm going to sue them for theft and infringement of anal-intellectual property.

The two phones DO look very similar, although from what I've read and seen, the iPhone is way ahead in terms of functionality, ease of use, features, etc.

LG and Apple are probably reviewing their patents as I type. My guess is that neither company copied the other but rather as others have pointed out, the design is a "natural" evolution of cell phone fit and form.

June (or sooner!) can not soon enough. My experience with Cingular has been very good. Very few dropped calls and good customer service - immediate resolution to billing issues (occured only while on the border of our calling area). My Moto T120 on the other hand I'm ready to ditch. Looking forward to having 5 hours of talk time compared to 2 with the T120.

Peace.

But seriously, that LG phone looks like something MS would've cobbled together as their "answer" to the iPhone. The ZunePhone, no doubt.

Of course iPhone looks better, but man, THAT IS NO COINCIDENCE. They are just WAY TO SIMILAR looking.

Someone got a leak of the others plans. Most likely LG got some inside Apple info, but who knows?

But seriously, that LG phone looks like something MS would've cobbled together as their "answer" to the iPhone. The ZunePhone, no doubt.

-------------

Agreed, the strange thing is how LG managed to show off the Prada phone three weeks before iPhone. Someone leaked something. Possibly Cingular, Google, Yahoo?

They haven't sued Apple yet because they can't. From Steve Jobs keynote: "We have 200 patents in the iPhone, and we will defend them (meaning the patents)."

Looks to me like LG may be the one getting sued.

If LG has no patents they have a problem.

LG has no case at all against Apple.

The interfaces are totally different.

No news here... move on...

I went to Macworld and was watching the iPhone demonstration and the girl who was demonstrating it had a LOT of mis-touches. The iPhone stopped responding and when she tried to turn it off, the phone wouldn't turn off. She tried to distract us by talking about other things and taking the attention away from the phone. All of the sudden, finally the iPhone obeyed her comands and turned off. I counted about 6 or 7 mis-touches. :(
I am a big APPLE fan and I LOVE the iPhone. I just hope Apple gets those bugs out of all iPhones before selling them in June. It was dissapointing to see how nervous she got while trying to work the iPhone.

Just my reply to "coolfactor".

Uh, MDN, you should report this as "Kim reports" not "Tae-gyu reports." Use last name, not first.

Thanks!

This is just stupid, stupid. Most of the Window OS OEMed smartphones made by HTC, Dopod and Compal in Taiwan all look the same as the LG and iPhone. All of them are rectangular in design with full and touch sensitive screen (operable with fingers and stylus). How come no one mentioned any lawsuits from LG to those companies? In addition, those phones are out long before the LG or the iPhone, how come no body mentioned any lawsuits from those company to LG? This is just stupid. People see iPhone and know its revolutionary and want to think up a lawsuit just to stop Apple at its track, only because they are afraid that Apple will crush them. iPhone is revolutionary not in its form factor but in its unique multi-touch interface. All phones look the same. You don't see Motorola suing other phone makers just because the other phones are clam shell in design as well. What's next? Electronic makers suing each other because what? "their TVs look like our TVs?"

I think Apple should sue LG. When I listen to the LG demo (it's in French), several times they refer to the 'Mac OS'.

"Of course iPhone looks better, but man, THAT IS NO COINCIDENCE. They are just WAY TO SIMILAR looking."

Yeah who would have thought to make a black rectangle with a screen on one side. Insanity. OK so if they revealed their handset in december, Apple rushed out, ripped off the design, and made the fully functioning working copy that steve used during the keynote.

Some of you people have no concept of the lead times on products such as these. Even if Apple had 3 months to copy it, very unlikely they could get a fully functioning prototype done in that amount of time.

OR maybe they have spies inside LG.. .oooooh booogita booogita

Folks..I just watched the French demo of the LG phone. The only thing thats similar sort of, is the keypad. Other than that, the LG is totally bullshit. Not even close to the iPhone's UI.

Just watch both and see for yourself.

...But seriously, that LG phone looks like something MS would've cobbled together as their "answer" to the iPhone. The ZunePhone, no doubt....


In June Microsoft will roll out a rebranded LG Prada as a Zunephone. In brown of course.

iDave, you are right. Those at Apple know what LG and the others are doing, and LG and many others know what Apple is/was up to. Having such similar builds and buttons is no coincidence.

There's a lot more that goes on behind closed doors than those outside will ever know.

Is it me or does LG's icon for the mp3 player function look like an iPod? Look around 3:47 +/-

It's like how many PDAs look alike...b/c it has a touch big screen. Sure the general shap is similar but the stuff on the screen doesn't even look the same. There's a bar to scroll up and down on the side of the screen. In phones like these, I think it's the inside that is the big difference and there is a huge difference b/w the Prada and the iPhone.

Well, yeah, they do look similar. But on the other hand, did, RCA sue Toshiba because the face of their TV was copied by Toshiba? Maye the
Wright brothers should have patented the look of their airplane. Considering that there really aren't other ways to design a flying machine (copied after birds of course) that would have severely limited the development of flight. Yikes!

I think Apple can prove that it has been working on the iPhone much longer than LG has on its phone. The idea of a device with a big screen that can change the device's interface based on function came from PDAs. The first PDA with a phone was a Handspring Visor with phone attachment. Maybe Palm (who bought Handspring) should sue Apple. And you can go back and say that the Newton was the first PDA. So maybe Apple should sue itself.

LG has a history of this shit, don't read too deeply into it. Everytime a handset appears that resembles one of theirs no matter how remote, The Korea Times runs an article about a possible lawsuit with an LG spokesman providing the same "We're flattered that somebody decided to copy our design/it's too early to make remarks on the issue."

See the Motorola KRZR incident in which LG was "thinking" about suing Motorola because it resembled the clamshell version of their Chocolate phone:

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/10/08/lg-gets-pissy-at-motorola-over-krzr-design/

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200610/kt2006100816580253460.htm

LG won't do a damn thing. I can't wait for these phones to get released so the comparisons can stop. That Prada phone will have none of the functionality of Multi-touch. It has the same dated touchscreen technology as any other handset pre-iPhone.

The LG phone isn't even for sale yet, and LG hasn't released its specs. How can they claim Apple copied anything from it?