The repercussions of Apple’s billion-dollar patent victory over Samsung were still being felt at Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show, as the South Korean firm launched a host of new gadgets.
After losing the biggest patent case in decades, Samsung came out fighting at the IFA show in Berlin which opens on Friday, with a sweeping media launch of smartphones, tablets, a “smart PC” and a voice-controlled camera.
But as Samsung made every effort to shrug off the defeat with a dazzling array of new toys, there were concerns the court case could stifle innovation as firms fear to launch new products that could be the target of patent suits.
“Behind closed doors, you can be sure that there will be serious discussions taking place, device makers talking to different platforms makers,” said Florian Mueller, an intellectual property expert.
“There will be private meetings in which it will be a big issue,” he added.
“An overprotected market can stall innovation and infringe competition ... We are not there yet, but we have to keep an eye on this,” he said.