Toshiba sued for cloning Fujitsu's RakuRaku handset

It's fairly commonplace for Chinese manufacturers to crank out clones of other popular wares, but apparently, things aren't brushed off as easily when the cloning gets done by a mega-corp like Toshiba. Granted, quite a bit is lost in translation here, but the long and short of it is that NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu are suing Tosh for creating and selling its 821T -- which, as you can see above, looks an awful lot like Fujitsu's RakuRaku handset. Reportedly, the plaintiffs have demanded that Softbank Mobile withdraw the 821T from the market, but it seems there's quite a bit more back-and-forth left to go down before the dust settles on this one.

[Via GearFuse]

[James Cameron @ Mar 17th 2008 3:17PM]

I thought Toshiba and Fujitsu are somekind of joint venture.

[FrankTheCrank @ Mar 17th 2008 3:32PM]

That phone is so 1997. yeeech!

[christomapher @ Mar 17th 2008 5:13PM]

I'd like to see a phone from 1997 that looks like that thing.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 17th 2008 6:16PM]

Sans the color QVGA display, I think thats actualyl pretty dead on.

[AoMoe @ Mar 17th 2008 7:26PM]

Wow. A real response from someone that has never used a phone with features that you could actually use.

[tekdroid @ Mar 17th 2008 11:50PM]

I dislike flip phones, but aesthetically and usability-wise, the Fujitsu is right up my alley.

Am I stuck in the 1990s? God I hope so!

If it ain't gloss or shiny faux silver with excruciating buttons, it's not just not in 'fashion' today. How sad!

[yui @ Mar 18th 2008 7:25AM]

For those who doesn't know what on the earth DoCoMo and Softbank would release this 1990s phone, This Rakuraku phone is targeting SENIOR CITIZENS whose eyes are not as good as younger generations,
who doen't need fancy functions, and whose fingers / eyes coordination are not quite synchronized, and whose hearing ability is decreasing.

Hence it comes up with large button, double mic noise canceller, clear voice, transflective LCD for viewing outdoors, GPS, Voice Navigation, etc etc

View more before laughing at this 1990s phone.

[Dualboot @ Mar 17th 2008 3:35PM]

Yes, but the Toshiba has a built-in HD-DVD player that makes it so much more useful.

[Poster's note: Please note sarcasm through tongue-in-cheek remark.]

[Matt @ Mar 17th 2008 3:46PM]

Becides the 1 2 3 beneath the screen, they look like just about every other flip phone on the market.

I mean really how many ways are there to lay out the buttons.

[tekdroid @ Mar 17th 2008 11:52PM]

the user interface is 'inspired' too, tho :)

[Alex Kirby @ Mar 17th 2008 4:01PM]

Why would you copy such a butt ugly phone?

[TubeTop100.com @ Mar 17th 2008 4:28PM]

Because some people prefer functionality over flashy bullshit.

[ssuk @ Mar 17th 2008 4:54PM]

Tube... Dude, not so loud, the iPhone fans are fuckin' crazy...

[Zak @ Mar 17th 2008 5:05PM]

Oh right, because the iPhone has zero functionality. It can't even make phone calls, right? I mean wow, what a piece of crap.

[lanejasper69 @ Mar 17th 2008 5:40PM]

My Answer, if you had any brains you wouldn't copy such an ugly phone. Open your mind's eye people, creativity...sells...$$$

drinks a generic "BEER" LOL'ly

Faslane

[Ohmancar @ Mar 17th 2008 4:14PM]

The fact is that the engineer who created the DoCoMo phone left the company and joined Softbank, then created the phone which happened to look the exactly same as his previous one in conjunction with Toshiba.

[octoberasian @ Mar 17th 2008 4:22PM]

Then they shouldn't be suing Toshiba, but should sue that engineer, and have Toshiba fire him for lack of creativity. >.>

[Nate @ Mar 17th 2008 4:23PM]

This is like Charmin suing Quilted Northern.

[ChrisG @ Mar 17th 2008 4:23PM]

Lmao I like the attempt Toshiba made a switching identical buttons around just so that they could avoid a lawsuit such as this one

[CitizenKlaw @ Mar 17th 2008 4:52PM]

Another example of Engadget's double standards. Nowhere in the article does the author talks about Toshiba like the spawn of the devil, hell bent on infringing on copyright. Or the comment on how pathetic Toshiba is for copying a handset? Could it be that this is not an Apple related article, I wonder?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: copying for copying sake's just wrong. Don't take me wrong. Is just that this entire blog / site should be more impartial.

[ssuk @ Mar 17th 2008 5:02PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/28/apple-sued-over-iphone-caller-id/

Reminded me of that. Note the use of "Apparently" and other phrases to try and make it seem like Apple aren't actually in the wrong, when they are. I mean, even after the update which shows other companies licenced the patent-infringing asset, Engadget STILL doesn't draw on any conclusions that Apple is in the wrong.

[CitizenKlaw @ Mar 17th 2008 5:27PM]

Precisely. I must confess that this is one of the reasons that I've kept away from Apple products largely. Not Engadget specifically, but the crazy cult of followers that Apple has. Ickk!

[Jagannath A @ Mar 17th 2008 4:51PM]

Fujitsu: "We patented 'Fugly' why are you copying it ? We are suing you.
Toshiba: ....

[Johan S @ Mar 17th 2008 4:54PM]

I'm should sue them too, for cloning such a lame phone.

It's like why sit next to a dunce during the math exam and copy his answers when they're going to be wrong anyway?

[eX @ Mar 17th 2008 6:01PM]

Well, it looks like erm... yer typical Japanese flip phone. Whooptie doo!

[lanejasper69 @ Mar 17th 2008 5:35PM]

I Agree, No HD...come up with something. Are these phones from the 80's, FUGLY!!!

Faslane

[lanejasper69 @ Mar 17th 2008 5:35PM]

Wait, Toshiba shouldn't be sued, THEIR phone has round buttons, not "rounded corner" buttons. Mistrial!!!!!!!

LOLOL, I'm amusing myself only huh?

Faslane

[Tokyoite @ Mar 17th 2008 5:38PM]

You guys are missing the point - Raku Raku is a 'simple' phone largely targetted at the elderly. It includes a number of features that supports that market segment and is supposed to look like something everyone else has, or had - inclusion in society being an abstract feature of sorts.

Oh yeah, in terms of sales volumes this has been beating most other phones - in part because its stretching the market.

[Mymaclife @ Mar 17th 2008 5:58PM]

They would have been better off cloning a turd! What a grim handset.

[helloUser @ Mar 17th 2008 6:07PM]

Is that another iPhone knockoff?

[Hotrod @ Mar 17th 2008 9:15PM]

This comment made me laugh, thanks bro

[omnicloud @ Mar 17th 2008 7:36PM]

I thought the Japanese were supposed to be decades ahead of us.

[AoMoe @ Mar 17th 2008 7:49PM]

One has to seriously doubt that Toshiba is being sued because of cloning Fujitsu's RakuRaku III handset. If one has seen enough handset in Japan, they would realize that these handset are different enough.

After some research it seems more likely that [1][2][3] buttons found on the found the reason for the lawsuit, since they are unique features on the RakuRaku line of phones.

[Alex @ Mar 17th 2008 7:52PM]

I'm still trying to tell them apart. How, in God's green earth, did Toshiba think they were going to get away with it? I think they're still dazed from the HD-DVD situation.

[Jack @ Mar 17th 2008 8:38PM]

somwhere in china, knockoff artists must be laughing at this one !!!

[dual @ Mar 17th 2008 11:06PM]

RakuRaku is "easy" in Japanese.
it is for old man.

[leo f @ Mar 17th 2008 11:21PM]

handset designs are actually quite streamlined in japan. the carriers have a large say in what designs are and are not allowed. the most stringent of standards being the keypad layout. also, since the vast majority of handsets on the market are broad fliphones, these two handsets have enough differences to be considered unique. the exception, may in fact, lie in the 1,2, 3 buttons directly below the screen.

[Andrew @ Mar 18th 2008 2:14AM]

FAIL!

[Brian @ Mar 18th 2008 2:34PM]

No, this is a phone targeted for elderly people...


http://www.firststreetonline.com/expanded.jsp?image=01334