Tag Archives: dispute

Livescribe renames Sky smartpen after losing trademark dispute with BSkyB

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Livescribe renames Sky smartpen to 'wifi smartpen' after trademark dispute with BSkyB

Livescribe v BSkyB was one of the stranger trademark battles we've seen recently, because the two companies operate in such different spheres -- one makes smartpens, the other runs TV and internet services. Nevertheless, the English High Court has now ruled in favor of BSkyB, forcing Livescribe to recall all stock bearing the offending three-letter word and to re-baptize its "Sky wifi smartpen" simply as the "wifi smartpen". Suddenly, the packaging left over from our review of the device just feels so naughty.

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HTC and Apple settle all patent issues, enter 10-year licensing deal

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HTC and Apple have just confirmed that they've settled all of their ongoing patent disputes, ending all of their lawsuits and opting into a 10-year licensing agreement. To refresh your memory, this particular saga begin back on March 2nd, 2010, when Apple filed lawsuits with the International Trade Commission and US District Court. That initial filing covered 20 patents related to iOS, which it accused HTC of infringing upon, and since then it has only been an ever-expanding battle. Essentially all the juicy details of the settlement between the companies are completely under wraps, but both HTC's CEO, Peter Chou and Apple's man-in-charge, Tim Cook have issued brief words for the official joint statement (the whole of which can be seen after the break):

"HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

"We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC," said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. "We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.

Notably, this settlement applies to all past and future patents for the companies, meaning we shouldn't be witnessing the two fight it out in court for years to come -- at least on the patent front. Hopefully we'll soon begin to see more of the same with other ongoing patent wars -- Apple vs. Samsung, anyone?

Continue reading HTC and Apple settle all patent issues, enter 10-year licensing deal

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HTC and Apple settle all patent issues, enter 10-year licensing deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean Audi and BMW drivers can relax, LG v. Osram LED patent dispute settled

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Korean Audio and BMW drivers can relax, LG v Osram LED patent dispite settled

Though it seems like some patent disputes never go away, at least an ongoing tiff between LED makers LG and Osram has been settled amicably. Details were kept under wraps, other than a statement that "the parties have reached a license agreement for their respective patents" and that all the disputes worldwide were dismissed. That means that a threatened Korean ban of Audi and BMW vehicles using the LED tech won't happen -- but we doubt teutonic car-lovers there were terribly worried about that unlikely-seeming proposition.

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Korean Audi and BMW drivers can relax, LG v. Osram LED patent dispute settled originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple publishes ‘Samsung did not copy’ statement through gritted teeth

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Apple publishes 'Samsung did not copy' statement through gritted teeth

Whatever you think of the continual legal tussles between Apple and Samsung, a UK court's decision to force the former into publicly acknowledging that the latter did not copy its design will have seemed a little egregious even to the most ardent sammy-sympathiser. Well, that post is now live -- on Apple's site at least -- and as you might expect, is studiously manicured to almost not feel like an acknowledgement at all. The opening legalese notes that Samsung did not infringe "registered design No. 0000181607-0001," before going on to point out in perfect lay-terms the positive comments Judge Colin Birss made about its own slates. While Apple does confirm that the UK decision was further upheld by the court of appeal, it is also keen to remind you that other European legal jurisdictions (namely Germany) don't share this opinion. Head to source to read the statement in full.

Continue reading Apple publishes 'Samsung did not copy' statement through gritted teeth

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Apple publishes 'Samsung did not copy' statement through gritted teeth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Senior VP of Mobile: Aliyun OS ‘under no requirement to be compatible’, but it won’t get help from Android ecosystem alliance

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Google Senior VP of Mobile Aliyun OS 'under no requirement to be compatible', but it won't get help from Android ecosystem alliance

Andy Rubin has added another response to Alibaba's Aliyun OS, after Google's insistence that Acer put the launch of its new smartphone on pause. He focuses (again) on the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which OEMs agree to when they work with the platform, promising to keep Android a happy (and relatively compatible) platform. Amazon dodges any similar issues with its Kindle Fire tablets, because it didn't sign up to the same alliance. Rubin says that because Aliyun uses Android's framework and tools -- as well as housing some suspect Android apps (and pirated Google programs) within its own App Store -- the mobile OS "takes advantage of all the hard work that's gone into that platform by the OHA." Google's looking to protect how Android behaves as a whole, and the senior VP suggests that if Alibaba's new OS wanted "to benefit from the Android ecosystem" then they could make the move across to full compatibility. We're still waiting to hear what Acer (and Alibaba) plan to do next.

[Thanks Jimmy]

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Google Senior VP of Mobile: Aliyun OS 'under no requirement to be compatible', but it won't get help from Android ecosystem alliance originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Senior VP of Mobile: Aliyun OS ‘under no requirement to be compatible’, but it won’t get help from Android ecosystem alliance

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Google Senior VP of Mobile Aliyun OS 'under no requirement to be compatible', but it won't get help from Android ecosystem alliance

Andy Rubin has added another response to Alibaba's Aliyun OS, after Google's insistence that Acer put the launch of its new smartphone on pause. He focuses (again) on the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which OEMs agree to when they work with the platform, promising to keep Android a happy (and relatively compatible) platform. Amazon dodges any similar issues with its Kindle Fire tablets, because it didn't sign up to the same alliance. Rubin says that because Aliyun uses Android's framework and tools -- as well as housing some suspect Android apps (and pirated Google programs) within its own App Store -- the mobile OS "takes advantage of all the hard work that's gone into that platform by the OHA." Google's looking to protect how Android behaves as a whole, and the senior VP suggests that if Alibaba's new OS wanted "to benefit from the Android ecosystem" then they could make the move across to full compatibility. We're still waiting to hear what Acer (and Alibaba) plan to do next.

[Thanks Jimmy]

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Google Senior VP of Mobile: Aliyun OS 'under no requirement to be compatible', but it won't get help from Android ecosystem alliance originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google wants ‘better compatibility’ for Android, Alibaba says ‘Aliyun is separate,’ Acer takes the brunt of it

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Google claims it wants 'better compatibility' for Android, Alibaba says 'Aliyun is separate,' Acer takes the brunt

On Thursday, we starting hearing claims that Google had strong-armed Acer out of launching its A800 CloudMobile in China with the Aliyun operating system. We reached out to the search giant for its response, but they declined to comment. Over the last 24 hours, though, Google has attempted to explain its stance, but at the same time has potentially created some confusion about how open Android really is. Below is the initial statement received by Marketing Land:

"Compatibility is at the heart of the Android ecosystem and ensures a consistent experience for developers, manufacturers and consumers. Non-compatible versions of Android, like Aliyun, weaken the ecosystem. All members of the Open Handset Alliance have committed to building one Android platform and to not ship non-compatible Android devices. This does not however, keep OHA members from participating in competing ecosystems."

This is clearly outlining Google's intention to prevent forked Android spin-offs from diluting the platform and the user experience. Fair enough. The trouble seems to be, however, defining when something is Android compatible, rather than its own separate (albeit Android-based) operating system. Amazon's Kindle Fire will instantly spring to mind. The new tablets run on Ice Cream Sandwich, but are fenced-off from the official Play store and other Google offerings. As you can imagine, the debate has started to get a little heated, we go into it in more detail past the break.

Continue reading Google wants 'better compatibility' for Android, Alibaba says 'Aliyun is separate,' Acer takes the brunt of it

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Google wants 'better compatibility' for Android, Alibaba says 'Aliyun is separate,' Acer takes the brunt of it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOfficial Android Blog, Andy Rubin (Google+)  | Email this | Comments

Post-acquisition Motorola files fresh ITC complaint against Apple

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Motorola RAZR and iPhone 4S

We hope you didn't think that Motorola would fight a purely defensive patent war against Apple after Google's acquisition closed. Just days before a final ruling on its initial complaints, the RAZR maker has filed another dispute with the International Trade Commission that accuses Apple of violating patents through some iOS devices and Macs. Exact details of the dispute are under wraps for now; Motorola, as you'd imagine, only contends that it has no choice after Apple's "unwillingness to work out a license." While Apple hasn't said anything about the subject, we already know how much it disagrees with Motorola's previous licensing strategy -- it's unlikely Apple will just roll over, no matter what's at stake.

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Post-acquisition Motorola files fresh ITC complaint against Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft downplays Metro design name, might face a lawsuit over all that street lingo

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Microsoft Surface for Windows RT hands-on

If you've seen most of Microsoft's design language for nearly three years, there's only one word that sums it up: Metro. In spite of that urban look being the underpinning of Windows Phone, Windows 8 and even the Zune HD, Microsoft now claims to ZDNet and others that it's no longer fond of the Metro badge. Instead, it's supposedly phasing out the name as part of a "transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog" while it starts shipping related products -- a funny statement for a company that's been shipping some of those products for quite awhile. Digging a little deeper, there's murmurs that the shift might not be voluntary. Both Ars Technica and The Verge hear from unverified sources that German retailer Metro AG might waving its legal guns and forcing Microsoft to quiet down over a potential (if questionable) trademark dispute. Metro AG itself won't comment other than to say that these are "market rumors," which doesn't exactly calm any frayed nerves over in Redmond. Should there be any truth to the story, we hope Microsoft chooses an equally catchy name for those tiles later on; Windows Street Sign Interface Windows 8-style UI just wouldn't have the same ring to it.

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Microsoft downplays Metro design name, might face a lawsuit over all that street lingo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceArs Technica, The Verge, ZDNet  | Email this | Comments