Apple UK Samsung apology reposted, cleverly hidden with code

The UK Apple-apology-to-Samsung saga continues with new predicaments in this problematic issues for the iOS device maker.
In case you’re not aware of it, Samsung beat Apple in a patent-based case concerning the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the UK. The courts found the uncool Galaxy Tab 10.1 not to be infringing on iPad patents and asked Apple to formally apologize to Samsung, both on its website and in print. Apple appealed but the ruling was upheld and so it had to post its apology.
And Apple did exactly so but forgot to use the words “apologize” or “sorry” in the process. The company posted an acknowledgement of the rulings in UK, and mentioned other rulings in similar cases in the process, which prompted the courts to ask the company to reword the apology.
Meanwhile, the company took ads in UK newspapers to post the non-apologetic apology. And now it looks like it has reworded the message on its website.
Here’s what that message reads now:

Samsung / Apple UK judgment
On 9 July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet Computers, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple’s Community registered design No. 0000181607-0001. A copy of the full judgment of
the High Court is available from www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Patents/2012/1882.html.
That Judgment has effect throughout the European Union and was upheld by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales on 18 October 2012. A copy of the Court of Appeal’s judgment is available from www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2012/1339.html. There is no injunction in respect of the Community registered design in force anywhere in Europe.

But apparently Apple used a trick to hide the message from its front page, where the new iPads are still presented to consumers instead. The Next Web reports that Hacker News and Reddit users have uncovered code on Apple’s website that hides the apology to Samsung. Here’s what they found:

var HeroResize=AC.Class({initialize:function(b){this._height=null;this._hero=$(b);
AC.Object.synthesize(this);this.__boundResizeHero=this.resizeHero.bindAsEventListener(this);
if(typeof window.ontouchstart===”undefined”){this.resizeHero();Event.observe(window,”resize”,this.__boundResizeHero)
}},setHeight:function(b){this._height=(b<0)?0:b;return this._height},resizeHero:function(){this.setHeight(parseInt(window.innerHeight||(window.document.documentElement.clientHeight||window.document.body.clientHeight),10)-310);
this.hero().style.height=this.height()+”px”}});Event.onDOMReady(function(){var b=new HeroResize(“billboard”)
});

What happens exactly? Well, the acknowledgement of its court-ordered obligation is on the front-page, but it’s not viewable from the moment you check out the site. In order for anyone visiting the site to see it, they’d first have to scroll all the way to the bottom because otherwise everything you’d get, no matter what resolution your display is, is an iPad mini ad.

In case you do scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, you’ll see this message appear (see screenshot above as well), with a link to the apology quoted above:

On 25 October 2012, Apple Inc. published a statement on its UK website in relation to Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computers. That statement was inaccurate and did not comply with the order of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
The correct statement is at Samsung/Apple UK judgement.

It’s definitely easy to miss unless you pay attention to that scroll bar that lets you know there’s more to that page that meets the eye.
These are the intricate ways such companies keep poking each other and bending the rules in the process. And you can’t blame Apple for trying to get out of this apology at all costs. But will the judge agree with such practices? Do you think Apple will be asked for a third apology draft?

Posted in: Apple, Samsung, UK