Samsung To Seoul Court: We Need To See The Source Code Of iOS, (For Legal Reasons, Of Course!)

According to an interesting report by The Korea Times (via AppleInsider) this weekend, Samsung has reportedly asked the Seoul Central District Court on Friday if it can have access to the actual source code pertaining to Apple’s iOS 6 operating system.

After the Korean smartphone manufacturer cited that it needed to see the source code to confirm whether or not the mobile OS infringes on a software patent it owns, Apple reportedly responded to the company’s request by stating that it thought the court request was “ridiculous.”

“[It] doesn’t make any sense. Samsung is saying that we should give up protecting our most important data,” members of Apple’s counsel explained to the court.

The move is, (by most), thought to be a “fishing expedition” by the company to try and gain a sneak peek at what exactly makes its competitor’s mobile OS tick. It’s worth noting at this point that both Motorola and Google have also requested to see the source code for iOS in the past, and ultimately failed in their request.

The report arrives after a separate report on Thursday claimed Samsung’s legal representative team had argued with the court that it would be physically “impossible” to determine whether or not Apple had infringed upon the software patent in question, without seeing this actual source code.

Apple reportedly (and furiously) responded to the claim as “insane.” The court requested Apple to have its software designers and engineers testify, but Apple (unsurprisingly) refused.

As for the court’s final verdict? — “The court has yet to decide whether to accept Samsung’s request,” a court official told The Korea Times, requesting anonymity.

/ The Korea Times