Alexander Wang and Nicolas Ghesquière Support Apple in Patent War With Samsung

According to Business of Fashion, Apple’s legal battle with Samsung is getting a lot more interesting. The California-based tech giant originally sued the Korean electronics brand for infringing on its iPhone patents in 2011 to the tune of $2.5 billion USD. Apple eventually won the case in 2012 and was awarded just over $1 billion USD, but through appeals from both sides, that number has gone down to $548 million USD, which Samsung agreed to pay in a decision that happened in December of 2015.

But now the fashion and design community is getting involved as an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States was recently filed. Those involved in the filing include figures in the design community such as Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein and Dries Van Noten to name a few. Creatives such as Dieter Rams and architects like Norman Foster are also backing Apple in its case.

Why? For one, another ruling against Apple could result in the company having to give back some of the money it had won from Samsung, which seems unfair. The more pressing issue amongst the design community however, is the idea of patent infringement — how much can a company get away with if it is deliberately stealing designs of a product or work from another? Business of Fashion gives examples that include a Lululemon lawsuit against Calvin Klein for infringing on three patents — one of which includes a waistband design. The online fashion publication also points out how shoe designs, made by the likes of Alexander Wang and Dries Van Noten, are copied all over the world without almost any legal ramifications.

If Samsung wins its appeal, a possible outcome for future cases would see only a portion of the profits (of infringing products) being awarded to the victims versus having all the profits given to them. On the tech side, if Apple wins, anyone can pretty much file a patent for anything just so they can extort money from actual companies. These individuals–known as patent trolls–would eventually come out of the woodwork eager to make a quick buck.

It’s quite a complex case, but a very interesting one as it develops.