UK Judge Who Ordered Apple to Publicly Apologize to Samsung Now Works For Samsung

Few months back, Sir Robin Jacob, a UK judge ordered Apple to publicly acknowledge that Samsung didn’t copy the iPad after an appeals court ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy tab did not infringe on Apple’s iPad.

But instead of just acknowledging the judgement, Apple unleashed a scathing attack on Samsung by quoting judge Colin Birss’s earlier comment that the Galaxy Tab was “not as cool” as the iPad and pointing out that a German court had found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design while ruling on the same patent. This didn’t go down well with the judge who ordered Apple to change the incorrect Samsung apology and accused the company for acting with a “lack of integrity”.

At that time, though Apple’s actions were widely criticised, the judgement was also considered very extreme and unjustified.

Interestingly, patent blog FOSS Patents has discovered that Sir Robin Jacob is now working for Samsung as a patent expert in a separate patent lawsuit against Ericsson. 

FOSS Patents‘ Florian Mueller points out that though it’s not illegal for the judge to work for Samsung “it just doesn’t feel right”.

I … have no doubt that at the time of the ruling Sir Robin Jacob was not being paid, or improperly promised to be paid, by Samsung, and he won’t have had any contact with Samsung or Samsung’s counsel that would have been against the rules and barred him from adjudicating the Samsung v. Apple case.

Furthermore, Sir Robin Jacob is truly an expert in patent law and there is no question that Samsung will benefit from his knowledge. That said, this just doesn’t feel right. It gives the impression that a judge who deals Samsung’s number one rival a huge PR blow, in a way that I found very extreme and unjustified, will be generously rewarded.

Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.

Via: FOSS Patents