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Was it plug-compatible with Apple's connector? That would seem open-and-shut for infringement. I thought it just looked similar, which makes it a judgment call for a jury.

I could accept most of what Samsung did as a technical choice, but that power charger really leaped out at me. Proprietary chargers suck for end users.

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If it's compatible, it's open-and-shut for NON-infringement, since copying for compatibility purposes is protected by law.

It's similar, but not exact. You can actually plug the galaxy into apple addon products (the connector will fit), but you'll probably fry your galaxy. Maybe someone has already done this and complained to Apple.

However, even if the copy was exact, I think it would still be difficult to make the case for infringement.

It's a mirrored version of Apple's connector. This was an especially goofy choice, as there's already a standard called PDMI they could have used.

There's a detailed discussion here: http://www.pocketables.com/forum//showthread.php?p=55941

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