Samsung Will Hide Designs At Shows To Stop Copycats

Samsung Electronics, the world's second-largest maker of cellphones, said Wednesday that it would not display some of its new handsets at exhibitions to prevent competitors from copying them.

Samsung will display only a few of its new models at the Consumer Electronics Show next month in Las Vegas and the CeBIT fair in March in Hannover, Germany, the company said.

The copying of cellphone designs and functions has cut profits in the industry and undermined competitiveness, Samsung said.

Intensifying competition among the world's largest cellphone vendors has driven down margins, or the percentage of profit relative to revenue, for handsets. Samsung's operating profit from its telecommunications business fell to 13 percent of the division's sales during the third quarter, down from a 16 percent margin in the second quarter and 26 percent in the first quarter.

Nokia, the Finnish company that is the world's largest handset maker, regained market share during the third quarter by cutting prices and introducing new clamshell-shaped phones.

What's up Siemens's sleeve?

The chief executive of Siemens said the company is hoping to announce plans for its struggling cellphone business at the company's annual general meeting at the end of January, Reuters reported from Frankfurt.

"I hope to be able to say something