Remember this image? It was presented by Apple to the courts as proof that Samsung knowingly aped the design of the iPhone. The proof is plain to see, as Samsung shifted toward touchscreen designs shortly after the launch of the first iteration of the Apple’s first smartphone. Right. Nevermind the many other form factor designs that Samsung continued to release after the iPhone. And let’s not forget about product designs that existed before the iPhone. Yep. Samsung is fighting back with their little illustrative picture, and it makes Apple’s argument a bit harder to swallow.

The designs shown above can be dated to 2006, well before Apple’s plans for a smartphone were revealed. What’s more, the seeds of Samsung’s eventual touchscreen UI can also be traced back to the same time period. For further review, Samsung submitted a more detailed view of their phone concepts before and after Apple’s offering.

The basis for an all-touchscreen mobile device existed well before the iPhone, and it’s fair to say both parties drew much of their inspiration from similar sources and movement in the tech industry, but it’s harder to argue that Samsung blatantly copied patents held by Apple when designing what would become their lineup of Android smartphones. The court battle is just getting started out in California, but the mounting evidence makes a clear conclusion hard to reach at this time.

[via OSNews | Thanks, Tad!]