Tag Archives: PatentDispute

Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaints

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Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaint

Since taking over Motorola Mobility, Google has started to rein in some of the manufacturer's legal adventures. First, it struck a licensing deal with Apple in Germany, then it withdrew an ITC complaint against the company in early October. Now Microsoft is benefiting from its new, seemingly less lawsuit-happy adversary. Moto has decided to pull its WiFi-related patent claims from a complaint against the Xbox 360. That still leaves its H.264 patents on the docket, though, we wouldn't be surprised to see the case disappear completely before the two companies go to trial in December. Microsoft claims it's entitled to a reciprocal license from Google due to an existing agreement between Mountain View and MPEG LA. German courts have already ruled that Motorola's claims regarding its H.264 patents are strong enough to issue injunctions against the Xbox 360 and Windows 7, however the company has been unable to enforce those sales bans due to ongoing investigations in the US.

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Motorola scales back ITC case against Xbox, drops WiFi patent complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dutch court rules that Samsung didn’t infringe on Apple multi-touch patent

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Dutch court rules that Samsung didn't infringe on Apple multi-touch patent

Once again, a decision has been made on an Apple versus Samsung patent dispute. This time, it's a Dutch court in the Hague, ruling that Samsung does not infringe on a Cupertino patent relating to certain multi-touch commands that the Korean firm implements in some of its Galaxy phones and tablets. This isn't the first time that the Netherlands-based court has found in favor of Samsung, and Apple had already lost a preliminary injunction on this same patent last year. Reuters also reports that the Hague court's decision comes in the same week that the International Trade Commission is expected to decide about further patent disputes between the two firms, which went in favor of Apple the last time around. At the very least, this long and bumpy ride isn't over yet.

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Dutch court rules that Samsung didn't infringe on Apple multi-touch patent originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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South Korea delays ban on iPads and iPhones until Apple can appeal

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iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus

Apple and Samsung have been recreating the Cold War through their own mutually assured destruction policy, and nowhere is that more apparent than their Pyrrhic victories in South Korea. For Apple, however, the pain will be just a little easier to bear. A Seoul court has confirmed that it's staying the ban on older iPads and iPhones until Apple can complete the appeals process; the Cupertino crew won't face the full penalty unless the appeals court upholds the verdict. Samsung hasn't yet asked for a similar pause on a ban covering some of its Android devices, though, which could lead to at least a momentarily lopsided situation in Samsung's home country. It's nonetheless a brief reprieve in a war that sadly won't end anytime soon.

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South Korea delays ban on iPads and iPhones until Apple can appeal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft sues Motorola in Germany again, claims Google Maps violates patent (update: Google involved)

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Microsoft and Motorola

Motorola isn't going to escape as cleanly as it would like from Microsoft's patent lawsuit campaign. Microsoft has sued Motorola once more in Germany, only this time it's waging a more direct fight against Motorola's owner Google. The lawsuit claims that Motorola devices violate a patent for taking map information from one set and overlaying it with data from another -- a technique that describes Google Maps, not to mention virtually every internet-connected mapping system we know. Details aren't yet available for the devices allegedly at risk, but the accusation would make it harder for Google, Motorola or both to simply code around the problem if they lose. No doubt Microsoft is counting on just that obstacle to have the RAZR maker fall in line with everyone else and take a license just for using Android.

Update: As patent case analyst Florian Mueller notes from his first-hand account, Microsoft quietly filed the lawsuit in April and received its first court hearing today. That's not the biggest news, however: Microsoft amended the lawsuit to include Google itself. While that's virtually necessary under German law to get the testimony Microsoft wants, it also means a rare (if not unique) instance of Microsoft attacking Google directly in court, rather than fighting proxy battles through Android hardware partners.

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Microsoft sues Motorola in Germany again, claims Google Maps violates patent (update: Google involved) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moto pulls phones and tablets from German site pending software update

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Moto pulls phones and tablets from german site pending software update

We wouldn't quite call it an unexpected turn of events, but it certainly qualifies as dramatic -- Motorola has pulled almost every Android device in its roster from its German site, leaving only the RAZR HD and RAZR i behind. German site Areamobile first reported the disappearance, and received word from Moto PR that the devices were removed while the OS was "being reworked." Though the company did not say it expressly, it appears the removal is related the various lost patent suits and injunctions awarded to its competitors. The manufacturer has been promising software fixes to address those complaints since early summer, but has yet to deliver them. We're sure the Xoom family and its sizable stable of mid-range phones will return to the site in good time, though, it wouldn't be a tragedy if the only surviving options were the newest members of the RAZR family. They're certainly the most compelling products currently offered (or soon to be offered) by the Google property.

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Moto pulls phones and tablets from German site pending software update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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German court sides with Motorola, says it didn’t violate Microsoft patent (updated)

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German court sides with Motorola, says it didn't violate Microsoft patent

Perhaps it's not as loud or high profile as Apple vs. Samsung, but there is another patent war raging that is no less vicious between Motorola and Microsoft. The two have been at each others' throats for a few years now and, while Google has offered an olive branch or two to Apple, we've yet to see a similar gesture made in Redmond's direction. The latest chapter in this saga sees the regional court in Mannheim handing Moto a victory in a complaint filed by Microsoft over a patent relating to a set of mobile phone APIs. Its a rare bright spot for the new Google subsidiary, which has struggled to score legal points both in Germany in the US. Microsoft has scored several injunctions against Motorola products, while the lone ban awarded to the phone manufacturer remains unenforceable pending a breach of contract lawsuit. For a bit more detail dig into the more coverage link.

Update: Microsoft's VP and Deputy General Counsel, David Howard, just issued this statement in response to the ruling.

This decision does not impact multiple injunctions Microsoft has already been awarded and has enforced against Motorola products in Germany. It remains that Motorola is broadly infringing Microsoft's intellectual property, and we hope it will join the vast majority of Android device makers by licensing Microsoft's patents.

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German court sides with Motorola, says it didn't violate Microsoft patent (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Cook and Larry Page reportedly chat about patent war

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Tim Cook and Larry Page reportedly chat about patent wars

According to Reuters, Tim Cook and Larry Page have been having behind the scenes chats over the last week or so, most notably about the ongoing patent proxy war between the two companies. According to sources, the Apple and Google CEOs spoke last week over the phone and are planning a meeting where, hopefully, they can hash out some of their differences. Discussions are also apparently taking place at lower levels, which could indicate this is a concerted effort to put to rest the tiresome battles over intellectual property. Unfortunately, details about what exactly the two talked about, and how broad those conversations were are unknown. But, it's definitely a good sign that the two sides are talking. Perhaps the relatively new corporate heads can avoid going completely "thermonuclear," as Cook's predecessor infamously threatened.

Update: All Things D has gotten confirmation from its own sources, and points out that Google is "wearing several hats here," including one as the owner of Motorola Mobility, which is currently suing Apple. However, we're still holding out hope that the licensing deal struck between those two companies is a sign of better days to come.

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Tim Cook and Larry Page reportedly chat about patent war originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ITC decides Apple didn’t violate Motorola WiFi patent after all, tosses case back to judge

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Droid RAZR and iPhone 4S

Trouble looked to be brewing for Apple last April: an International Trade Commission judge made an initial ruling that Apple infringed on a standards-essential Motorola WiFi patent, raising the possibility of a trade ban if the verdict held true. The fellows in Cupertino may have caught a big break. A Commission review of the decision on Friday determined that Apple didn't violate the patent, and it upheld positions that exonerated the iPhone maker regarding two others. Apple isn't entirely off the hook, however. The ITC is remanding the case to the judge to review his stance that Apple hadn't violated a non-standards-based patent, which still leaves Apple facing the prospect of a ban. However, having to revisit the case nearly resets the clock -- we now have to wait for another ruling and a matching review, and that likely puts any final decision well into 2013. Google-owned Motorola isn't lacking more weapons in its arsenal, but any stalled proceedings take away bargaining chips in what's become a high-stakes game.

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ITC decides Apple didn't violate Motorola WiFi patent after all, tosses case back to judge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge cuts international Galaxy S and S II, Galaxy Ace from Apple lawsuit against Samsung

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Judge cuts international Galaxy S and S II, Galaxy Ace from Apple's lawsuit against Samsung

Apple rested its side of the case in its main lawsuit against Samsung on Monday, and with the switch of focus came a small sacrifice. While Samsung failed in a Hail Mary bid to have the suit dismissed, it successfully argued that a few devices should escape the clutches of a full-fledged ban. Don't get too excited, though: the exclusion list mostly touches on phones that only reach US shores through unofficial importers, including the Galaxy Ace as well as international editions of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. The decision still leaves the American variants of phones under scrutiny, and it doesn't change Apple's hopes of a large licensing fee for all the alleged transgressions. We'd still say the exemption provides some small amount of relief for Samsung, however. Most of Apple's early, less-than-flattering accusations of trade dress violations focused on the more familiar-looking foreign Galaxy models and lose some of their thunder when leveled against the conspicuously altered designs that eventually set foot in the US.

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Judge cuts international Galaxy S and S II, Galaxy Ace from Apple lawsuit against Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple, Samsung reveal sales data to the court, boast of millions served

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Apple, Samsung reveal sales data to the court, boast of millions served

Have a smartphone from Seoul or Cupertino riding in the pocket of your jeans? You aren't the only one. New documents filed in Samsung and Apple's ongoing legal battle reveal specific sales data going back several years, confirming something we always knew to be true: there are a lot of devices out there. Samsung's filing reveals that it has sold 21.25 million "accused" phones and 1.4 million tablets from June 2010 to June of this year, and further breaks down the data by device and, in some cases, carrier. The Galaxy S II, for instance, takes the lion's share of US sales with over 4.1 million units sold between all models and carriers. The Epic 4G makes an appearance at 1.89 million sold, and the Captivate totals in at 1.39 million. Finally, the Samsung Prevail lives up to its moniker by netting 2.25 million in sales, lagging only behind the Galaxy S II -- though its $180 asking price brought in significantly less revenue per unit.

Apple's charts are a bit less specific, detailing the total sales of its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch lines rather than the sales of each specific hardware iteration -- though where it falters in detail it makes up in numbers. U.S. consumers have snatched up 85 million iPhones since 2007, alongside 34 million iPads and 46 million iPod touch devices -- bringing in almost $80 billion in revenue, collectively. Puts those quarterly reports into perspective, doesn't it? Check out both charts in full at the source link below.

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Apple, Samsung reveal sales data to the court, boast of millions served originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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