Turns out, Samsung had nothing to do with the knockoff Smart Cover. According to them, the accessory maker that made it, Anymode, didn’t receive official approval from Samsung to do so. And plus, Samsung would never steal from Apple.
Samsung addressed the icky situation of Anymode, an accessory maker, stealing Apple’s Smart Cover design for the ‘Smart Case for Samsung tablets’, by saying:
As a general practice, Samsung Electronics reviews and approves all accessories produced by partners before they are given the “Designed for Samsung Mobile” mark.
In this case, approval was not given to Anymode for the accessory to feature this official designation. We are working with Anymode to address this oversight and the product has already been removed from the Anymode sales website. The product has not been sold.
I’m sure this whole Smart Cover/Smart Case mess isn’t making anyone at Samsung happy as they’re already in a tenuous situation with Apple after being accused of cribbing designs and battling out something like Patent Wars VI in the courts. [Samsung Tomorrow via SlashGear]