Samsung acquires 'Android' trademark for mobile hardware sales in Korea
By Vlad Savov 
posted March 16th 2010 11:26AM
posted March 16th 2010 11:26AM
As it turns out, Korea operates two separate trademark systems for hardware and software. So while this doesn't affect Android OS and its distribution, Samsung's recent acquisition of the Android hardware trademark does forbid other manufacturers from releasing Android-branded devices -- whether they be a mobile phone, a PMP, PDA, GPS, DMB, or any other snappily titled mobile computer -- into the Korean market. This will be felt by local competitors like LG, who has an Andro-1 OEM handset in the works that would infringe Samsung's newfound rights. The trademark previously belonged to local supplier Triplex, who'd held it since before Google's OS came into being, and apparently using just four characters of "Android" will be sufficient to offend the authorities. Sammy's clearly decided to aggressively pursue being the premier supplier of Android phones in its backyard, and rubbing LG's nose in it must've been the chocolate frosting atop that eclair.[Thanks for the translation, Didier]
OH NOOO!
@Aldeezy The kool-aid man disapproves your message
OOOH-YEEEAAHHH
@Aldeezy
Steve Jobs is going to have a heart attack if he finds out other companies are copying his ability to be a deuche.
when did sucking become cool???
sammy you don't need to do this!
@Aldeezy
I'm surprised Google did not trademark the name for hardware. This could create problems.
@Mentat
It's almost like some people only just discovered the US had a patent system.
This has been going on for decades, kid, not just the last few months
@realar They probably ran into a case of it being taken and either thought it wasn't necessary and/or not worth the cost. It sounds like Sammy bought it thinking it was worth the cost to create a trademark-monopoly they could profit off from. Could create problems is right, definitely will prevent some fixes.
everything put aside
how does it help the customers there?
@wolverine
... a company helps investors not customers
@wolverine It helps their own pockets not consumers.
Andro = Android?
Give me a break....ffs...
@Plazmic Flame Good thing it's 4 letters and not 3. Otherwise Samsung would then own 'And'... That would be trouble.
@amneziac
A N D R O = 5 letters not 4? o.O
@Plazmic Flame
I think it's four characters in Korean.
An = 1 letter,
d = 1 letter,
ro = 1 letter,
i = 1 letter,
d = 1 letter.
So, Andro-1 from LG is fine. They actually named it Androi-1, but then had to change to Andro-1 because of Samsung.
@Dori
To further elaborate:
안 = An
드 = d
로 = ro
이 = i
드 = d
So any company in Korea, other than Samsung, can't use more than 4 or more of those Korean characters.
LG's Andro-1 is a good example of avoiding this trademark issue:
안 = An
드 = d
로 = ro
원 = 1
If they added the "i" sound, 이, they would've violated the trademark.
@Big Al I'm going to try to clarify something, and I might be wrong, but I believe I am correct from combining my language knowledge with my experience following the cell phones here in Korea. You are trying to Hangulize the word android, and technically (though the source article does the same thing) these are not characters being used but syllables (at least by the western interpretation of Hangul and their characters). So, " 안" is a syllable, and a combination of 3 characters. Furthermore, every time I see Android (most notably the most popular device the Motoroi), it is never in Hangul, it is always in Roman characters, meaning this analysis of characters versus syllables is splitting hairs unnecessarily. I'll have to look into it more though.
@Big Al To my uneducated eye, it would actually be:
안 = Policeman holding a baton
드 = desktop computer
로 = desktop computer connected to network
이 = cyclops indifferent
드 = desktop computer
And yes I did very often get completely lost walking around Incheon airport in Seoul.
Why? Judging by their previous releases I didn't think that Samsung really "digged" android.
@SteveDhalai this is why they are doing this : they want to promote their own Bada crap, so the less competitors are visible the better they will do with it...
@SteveDhalai That's what I'd like to know.
Sounds like Apple and Samsung could be best friends.
@fpad77 ....and M$, and AMD, and Sony, and Toshiba, and Nokia, etc etc.
Don't be a narrow minded fool as all companies do whatever they can to increase market share and sales.
@bullshitexpresscom
Mostly I see narrow minded fools replacing S's with dollar signs, and confusing patent/TM trolling with responsible corporate behavior.
@fpad77
Apple does buy a lot of memory from Samsung. Another attack in the proxy war.
@fpad77
Cos Apple invented the patent system
way to take advantage of the systems flaws sammy
@Edobe
The Samsung Android with Bada OS
Way to shove it to the hand that fed you, Samsung.
Samsung is becoming very aggressive in the mobile market. They were a small player in NA, but fairly large in the far east. Now with the slew of devices there releasing, on WinMo, Android, and BADA they are attempting to grab a very large market share.
@KingFaisal94 Huh?
Are you on crack? Samsung has the most market share in the US.
That's just retarded. Kick Samsung out of the Open Handset Alliance immediately; Samsung has gone rogue.
KICK them out of the Open Handset Alliance; Samsung has gone rogue, and no longer deserves to be included.
@gerrrg I guess $amsung is a part of the AXIS of EVIL
@gerrrg i just wrote to them the oha
@gerrrg
Apparently I was so mad at Samsung, I posted twice. Who knew?
well that's just plain stupid. I hope the open handset alliance force samsung to allow other hardware makers to use the android branding on their hardware (maybe refuse to validate new devices for samsung until they allow royalty free use of the android hardware branding).
@humanerror It only affects the hardware, not the software. I think a lot of readers are misinterpreting the blog (hopefully it's not me). So any manufacturer can have an Android phone, they just can't "name" the hardware something like "Android F1 Cool" or anything like that.
@bullshitexpresscom
I know it is for the hardware - but to own the ability to brand phones "android" phones as part of their hardware name is lame and should not be allowed still as it gives a competetive advantage due to brand recognition of the android OS. It would be as if HP owned the right to name pcs "windows" computers and stop anyone else from doing so.
LG is going to shine with WP7S, they don't really care :-)
Does George Lucas own "Droid" out there? May be worth giving him some monies LG and telling Samsung to GTFO.
@ChazClout
If you think Star Wars was the first use of the term Android you really need to try a little research
"The word derives from ανδρός, the genitive of the Greek ανήρ anēr, meaning "man", and the suffix -eides, used to mean "of the species; alike" (from eidos, "species"). Though the word derives from a gender-specific root, its usage in English is usually gender neutral. The term was first mentioned by St. Albertus Magnus in 1270[3] and was popularized by the French writer Villiers in his 1886 novel L'Ève future, although the term "android" appears in US patents as early as 1863 in reference to miniature human-like toy automatons."
@fourthletter
I was on about the trademarked term "Droid" owned by LucasFilm and was wondring if (like Verizion have done in the U.S) LG could licence the "Droid" name instead of using Android.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droid
(This is all assuming that LucasFilm owns "Droid" in korea)
@fourthletter
I love it when people are in such a hurry to demonstrate their knowledge that they miss someone else's point entirely, and end up looking stupid.
Don't you?
@ChazClout Again, they have two patent and trademark systems, I doubt Lucasfilms owns the hardware trademark on the word droid in Korea.
@bullshitexpresscom
For bullshitexpress, you sure know your shit! :P
@fourthletter
Um, I don't think there's a reference to the word "android" in Star Wars.
@ilh well that would depend on who you're talking to I suppose. But I think many are aware that 'droid' is short for 'android'. And if you think there's no reference to that...well, you lose all geek privileges.
Samsung has nice hardware, it was software that is lacking, now with android is a win win situation.
We must we constantly read stories about patent legal mumbo-jumbo no-one at Engadget really understands ?
Chances are LG and Samsung already have cross-licensing agreements and this all has to do with KIRFS and knock offs.
@techlord
Are you on crack?? Samsungs hardware sucks, their screens are the only thing worth a damn.
I dare you to but a "Samsung Mythic" piece of garbage.