英文記事で英語を学ぶ

Samsung Electronics Co filed patent lawsuits against Apple over the US firm's iPhone and iPad in a tit-for-tat case after Apple claimed Samsung's smartphones and tablets 'slavishly' copied its products.
Samsung's counter lawsuit, its first against its biggest client, comes days before it launches a new product and could jeopardize business ties between the two companies, as Apple relies on Samsung for component supplies such as chips and LCD displays.
"Apple is quite annoyed by Samsung's fast rise in a market which it virtually created," James Song, an analyst at Daewoo Securities, said on Friday.
"It's quite threatening to see how quickly Samsung plays catchup, and Apple might have felt a strong urge to put a brake on its march just when Samsung is set to roll out a new smartphone in May ahead of its new iPhone."
Apple sold 18.6 million iPhones last quarter alone. Samsung, which had a fraction of the booming market until early last year, is estimated to have sold around 13 million units of smartphones in January-March and aims to sell 60 million units this year.
Apple filed a lawsuit last Friday alleging Samsung violated patents and trademarks of its iPhone and iPad, as the popular gadgets are being threatened by the fast rise of rival devices based on Google''sfree Android operating system.
Samsung said in a statement on Friday that Apple's iPhone and iPad infringe Samsung''s 10 mobile technology patents and it called for Apple to stop infringing its technology and compensate the company.
Operating systems have emerged as the key battlefield for dominance of the world''s smartphone market.
Android became the most popular smartphone software in the United States in the three months ending in February, ahead of Apple and Research in Motion, according to a recent survey by research firm comScore.
Samsung is one of the fastest growing smartphone makers on the back of the Android boom and has emerged as Apple's strongest competitor in the tablet market, with models in three sizes.
Samsung said the suits, filed in South Korea, Japan and Germany, involved 10 alleged infringements of patents mainly involving power reduction during data transmission, 3G technology for reducing errors during data transmission, and wireless data communication technology.
"Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communications business," the statement said.
Global technology companies are locked in a web of litigation as they try to defend their shares of the booming tablet and smartphone market.
Strong sales of the iPhone and iPad translate into more revenue for Samsung. Apple was Samsung's second-biggest client after Japan's Sony Corp last year, bringing in around 6.2 trillion Korean won ($5.7 billion) of sales, and is widely expected to become Samsung's top client this year.
"But both know that they need each other. Apple can't suddenly change to other company for supplies of memory chips and mobile processors, because there's no one able to meet Apple's requirement in terms of technology and capacity other than Samsung." Song said.
The battle comes ahead of Samsung launching a new version of its successful Galaxy S smartphone next week in Korea, a key product for the world's No.2 handset maker to meet its target of 60 million units of smartphone sales this year.
Shares in Samsung, Asia's biggest technology company with a market value of $140 billion, closed down 2.6% after three consecutive sessions of gains in a flat market.

■単語
tit-for-tat
[形]しっぺ返しの；相互依存的な.

slavishly
[副] ⇒slav・ish
slavish
[形]
1 奴隷の；奴隷的な；奴隷根性の
slavish submission
奴隷的な屈従.
2 卑しい，卑屈な.
3 猿まね的な，独創性のない；直訳の.

allege
[動](他)
1 ((通例受身))［III[名]/that節］（証拠なしに）…を主張する；［V[名]as[名]［[形]］］…が（…である）と断言する；［V[名]to do］〈人が〉（…であると）言い張る，称する
allege a person's guilt
人の有罪を主張する
She alleges that her watch has been stolen.
彼女は自分の時計が盗まれたと言い張っている
He is alleged to have stolen the jewelry. [=It is alleged that he stole the jewelry.]
彼は宝石を盗んだと言われている（⇒ALLEGEDLY）.
2 …を（口実・弁解として）持ち出す
allege illness
病気を口実とする.
3 法律…を申し立てる，主張する.
［古フランス語←俗ラテン語exltigre （ex-外へ＋ltigre持ち出す＝証拠を持ち出す）. △LITIGATE］
infringe
[動](他)〈法律・契約・義務・権利・誓い・原理などを〉犯す，破る，侵害する，に違反する，違背する
infringe a copyright [a patent]
版権［特許権］を侵害する.
━━(自)［infringe on [upon] A］〈Ａ（法律・権利など）を〉侵害する
infringe on women's rights
女性の権利を侵害する.
［ラテン語infringere（in-中に＋frangere破る＝破り入る）. △FRAGILE, FRACTION］

compensate
[動](他)［III[名]（[副]）］
1 〈損失・欠点などを〉（…で）相殺(そうさい)する，埋め合わせる((with, by ...))；［compensate A for B］〈Ａ（人）のＢ（損害・労苦）を〉（…で）償う，補償する，賠償する((with, by ...)). ▼Ｂは名詞・動名詞
compensate him for his trouble with money
彼の労苦をお金で償う
The company compensated me for losing a finger on the job.
労働災害で指をなくしたことに対して会社は賠償してくれた
Your shortcomings are well compensated for by your sincerity.
君の短所は誠実さによって十分補われている.
2 〈時計の〉振り子などを補整する.
3 ((米))〈貨幣の〉金含有量を変える［補整する］.
4 ((米))〈人に〉（仕事に対して）給料［報酬］を支払う((for ...)).
━━(自)（←(他)）［compensate for A］〈Ａ（物・事）の〉埋め合わせをする，補う，償う；補償［賠償］する. ▼Ａは名詞・動名詞
Diligence may compensate for lack of experience.
勤勉が経験不足を補うこともある.
［ラテン語compnstus （com-共に＋pensare計量する＋-ATE1＝2つのものを計量する）］