Apple

Court denies Samsung’s latest appeal request in ongoing patent case

Cody Lee ∙ August 13, 2015

The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied Samsung's request to reconsider the court's decision to uphold damages awarded in its patent infringement case, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The damages amount to more than $400 million.

This is just the latest turn in what seems to be a never-ending patent case between Samsung and Apple. In 2012, a jury found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's patents and awarded the iPhone maker $1 billion in damages, which has since been cut in half.

Court rules iPhone looks can’t be protected, adjusts Samsung’s $930 million penalty

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Monday, The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it's ruled that Samsung violated Apple's design patents but did not infringe on the Cupertino firm's trade dress intellectual property.

As reported by Reuters, the appeals court has now reversed part of Apple's $930 million verdict versus Samsung, ordering that the penalty be adjusted accordingly.

Ericsson sues Apple in UK, Germany and Netherlands over alleged patent infringement

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2015

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson has extended its patent lawsuit against Apple to Europe, filing separate lawsuits in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands over alleged patent infringement, Reuters reported Friday.

Ericsson is alleging that Apple has been using its patents without a legitimate license. It unloaded legal barrage against the iPhone maker over the same matter in the United States in February 2015.

The world’s largest maker of wireless networks, Stockholm-based Ericsson owns many patents covering 2G, 3G and 4G LTE cellular technology.

Apple ordered to pay $533 million in patent infringement trial

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

A federal jury in Tyler, Texas ruled on Tuesday that Apple must pay $532.9 million in damages to Smartflash LLC. Bloomberg reports that the jury found iTunes to infringe on its patents related to "managing access through payment systems."

The original complaint was filed in 2013, with Smartflash asking for $852 million. The company argued it was entitled to a percentage of sales of Apple’s devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, that were used to access iTunes.

iPhones found to infringe pager tech, Apple ordered to pay $23.6M in damages

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2014

Bloomberg is reporting this morning that Apple's iPhone and other devices have been found to infringe half a dozen pager technology patents owned by a Texas company called Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC.

Six patents owned by Mobile Telecommunications Technologies are valid and infringed, a federal jury in Marshall, Texas, has found.

The iPhone maker was ordered to pay the Texas company $23.6 million in damages.

Apple defeats $94 million patent infringement suit

Cody Lee ∙ October 23, 2014

Apple on Wednesday defeated a civil suit put forth by GPNE, a non-practicing patent holding company in Honolulu, that was seeking nearly $100 million in damages. The company alleged that three iPhone and iPad models infringed on its pager technology patents.

A jury in the US District Court of San Jose disagreed, and rejected all of patent infringement claims. Apple applauded the verdict, calling GPNE a "patent troll," a term given to companies who acquire patents for the sole purpose of collecting licensing and lawsuit fees.

Appeals court tosses out VirnetX’s $368 million victory over Apple

Cody Lee ∙ September 16, 2014

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit tossed out a verdict today handed down by a Texas jury in late 2012 that would've forced Apple to pay $368 million to patent holding firm VirnetX. The jury determined that Apple's FaceTime feature infringed on on the firm's intellectual property.

The Wall Street Journal reports this afternoon that the appeals court has ruled that the verdict was "tainted" by erroneous jury instructions in the case and therefore is invalid. It also held that some trial testimony from a VirnetX IP "expert" should have been completely excluded from the case.

Apple drops permanent injunction quest in Samsung lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ July 29, 2014

Apple filed a motion with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in California yesterday, dropping its cross-appeal of Judge Lucy Koh's final judgement in its lawsuit against Samsung. The motion officially ends the company's pursuit of a product ban.

Now, this is just for the 2012 trial, not the one that ended in May. Apple had been looking to win a permanent injunction against all of Samsung's infringing devices in that case, and filed multiple appeals, but it appears to have given up on this particular battle...

Apple wins lawsuit against Emblaze over live video streaming patent

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

In a verdict handed down late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple defeated a lawsuit brought on by Emblaze Ltd. The company claimed that the iPhone-maker infringed on one of its patents.

More specifically, Emblaze accused Apple of infringing on its live video streaming patent, with its HTTP live-streaming service (HLS) that it asks 3rd-party apps like MLB at Bat and WatchESPN to use. But the trial's jury found otherwise...

Dutch court upholds sales ban of older Samsung Galaxy devices

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2014

Recode reports that a Dutch appeals court has upheld a lower court's sales ban of some older Samsung Galaxy devices that infringe on Apple's IP. The patent in question involves how iOS users are able to peak at the next photo in a gallery by swiping the current image.

The ruling will apply specifically to the Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Ace—both of which include Samsung photo apps that run an exact copy of the feature—and it could possibly be extended to other Samsung devices found to similarly infringe on Apple's European patent...

Apple and Samsung could settle patent disputes out of court by the summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple and its frenemy Samsung have been embroiled in a complex web of lawsuits spanning continents but now a resolution to the long standing patent dispute that has fascinated watchers around the globe could be within reach as the two technology giants are reportedly engaged in settlement talks, according to a Korean newspaper.

The unexpected development arrives hot on the heels of a surprising Reuters report last week confirming that Apple and Google put an end to a dispute with Motorola Mobility which Google inherited after snapping up Motorola 2011.

That agreement even has the two sides banding together on a patent reform, though it excludes cross-licensing of their respective mobile patent portfolio and Apple’s lawsuits with other Android makers like Samsung...

Apple and Google agree to settle all current patent litigation

Cody Lee ∙ May 16, 2014

After years of being embroiled in a number of lawsuits, on multiple continents, Apple and Google have announced that they have reached a settlement regarding patent litigation.

The two companies have agreed to dismiss all current lawsuits between Apple and Google's former Motorola Mobility unit, and have even said they'll work together on patent reform...