The UK Judge who ordered Apple to apologize to Samsung has a new job. His new employer is a company that goes by the name of… Wait for it… Samsung!
The Rt. Hon. Professor Sir Robin Jacob has been brought on as one of nine “experts […] working on behalf of” Samsung according to FOSS Patents. Samsung’s counsel submitted the filing listing Jacob as an expert witness in court on Wednesday.
Jacob will serve as an expert in the U.S. International Trade Commission’s investigation of Ericsson’s patent infringement complaint against Samsung. Ericsson wants a U.S. import ban against multiple Samsung devices, which include the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and Galaxy Tab.
FOSS Patents notes that there is nothing illegal in Jacob working for Samsung, and says there is no doubt that the judge has acted properly at all times, but does note that the impression given is not necessarily a favorable one, saying: “For someone so concerned with “integrity” it is utterly unusual to issue a high-profile and extreme ruling in favor of a particular party (Samsung in this case) only to be hired as an expert by that same party in another dispute.”
Just a short time ago, November of 2012 to be exact, after a court order that required Apple to post an apology to Samsung on its website, Jacob ruled that Apple had not complied properly with the court order requiring the company to prominently display on its website that Samsung had not copied the design of the iPad. Apple had posted a link at the bottom of its home page, which sent users to a plain page with a statement that Samsung had not infringed.
The judge felt Apple’s wording in the statement was not sufficient, and he also did not like the link placement on Apple’s webpage. He then ordered Apple to change the wording of the statement, give it an 11-point font, and a more prominent location on the website’s home page.
Ironically, one part of Jacob’s opinion read: “I hope that the lack of integrity involved in this incident is entirely atypical of Apple.”
