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Samsung needs to become a “first-mover” and invent its own new gadgets, according to an editorial published by JoongAng Ilbo, one of South Korea’s largest daily newspapers.
Otherwise, it risks getting ensnared in more patent disputes like the giant lawsuit it just lost against Apple.
The strategy of quickly copying devices in other categories of electronics has worked really well for Samsung. For example, the New York Times notes, Samsung waited for LCD prices to fall, then made a big bet on the technology and undercut Sony and other rivals in the flat-screen TV market.
That won’t work as patent litigation heats up. So Samsung needs to become more of an inventor if it’s going to stay near the top of the gadgetmaker pack.
This problem might be broader than Samsung. In another editorial, JoongAng Ilbo has a suggestion: Encourage more startups like Facebook to address the lack of innovation in the Korean economy.