Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has been sounding off about Apple and accusing them of patent trolling, while at the same time saying that the iPhone maker is “a very good partner”.
According to the Korean Times, Schmidt, who is currently in Seoul, said: “With respect to Apple patents, the best thing we can tell there are plenty of prior arts.”
He expanded on this claim saying: “I think one of the worst things that happened in the last few years has been the belief that somehow there are so many patents in the mobile phone world, an estimated 200,000 patent that are overlapping and complicated and so forth, that one vendor can stop the sale of another vendor’s phones or devices.”
Schmidt complains that: “Literally patent wars prevent choice, prevent innovation and I think that is very bad.”
He claims: “Ultimately Google stands for innovation as opposed to patent wars.”
It’s not all bad mouthing Apple, though, Schmidt claims Apple “Is actually a very good partner. Our two companies are literally talking all the time about everything.”
Earlier this week Schmidt admitted that Google has “not done anything yet” about putting Google Maps back on iPhone.
The on going saga between Apple and Samsung, saw Samsung earlier this week ask the judge to throw out the recent billion-dollar court ruling against it, citing juror misconduct.
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Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.