Samsung drops plans to block iPhone 4S sale in South Korea
updated 09:35 am EST, Mon November 14, 2011
Claims it won't push for more local marketshare
Samsung has decided to forego seeking an injunction against the iPhone 4S in South Korea, says local newspaper The Chosun Ilbo. The company reportedly debated "until the last moment" on whether to file, having already made such efforts in Australia, France, Italy, and Japan. The 4S went on sale in Korea on Friday.
The sudden course change is thought to be a public relations move. "We concluded that we should engage in legal battles with Apple only in the global market, but not in order to gain more market share in Korea," an unidentified senior Samsung executive is quoted as saying. Samsung is a dominant force in its home country, not only in terms of smartphones but many other products, to the extent that it is a keystone of the economy. While a ban on the iPhone 4S might have solidified Samsung's local marketshare, it might also have engendered a negative reaction worse than any lost sales.
Grizzled Veteran
Joined: Oct 1999
So...
So, what Samsung is saying is that it is quite happy to seek to deprive people of the opportunity to buy an iPhone 4S in countries other than its own? WTF?