Motorola

Apple and Google agree to settle all current patent litigation

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...

Google-owned Motorola becomes first convicted patent troll

Google may have become the first convicted patent troll, after a federal jury Thursday fined the internet giant $14.5 million related to licenses held by Motorola. The Seattle-based jury upheld Microsoft's claim that the Google-owned Motorola demand $4 billion to license Wi-Fi and video patents that were supposed to be available under fair and reasonable terms.

The finding comes just a week before Apple's appeal of a similar claim against Motorola is to be heard. This week's judgement against Motorola opens a legal can of worms for both Google and Motorola, according to one keen patent observer...

German appeals court finally lifts 18-month iCloud injunction against Apple

A German appeals court has finally decided to lift the injunction that has prevented Apple from offering push notifications for its iCloud email service in the country. The feature has been disabled for German users since February 2012—so about 18 months.

The injunction spawned from a lawsuit by Motorola Mobility, which as we all know is now owned by Google. The company claims that Apple's iCloud push notification feature infringes upon its patents, and is seeking both a permanent ban and punitive damages...

Apple and Motorola drop 14 patents from upcoming Florida lawsuit

In a sign that tech companies have moved beyond the patent litigation stage of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, Apple and Google-owned Motorola Mobility Monday dropped more than a dozen patents in preparation for a Florida patent-infringement lawsuit.

The move signals both companies are seeking the strategic upper-hand in a case which has exasperated the presiding judge. In the case scheduled for August of 2014, Google-owned Motorola dismissed eight patents while Apple dropped six yesterday, after previously trimming two patents, according to a joint stipulation filed before the District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami...

Microsoft suing US Customs for not enforcing ban on Motorola devices

As Apple fights to stay a recently-imposed import ban on some of its iOS devices, Microsoft is trying to push one forward. The Redmond company is suing the US Customs and Border Protection office for refusing to enforce an ITC order to block imports of Motorola phones.

In May 2012, the US International Trade Commission issued a ban on Motorola devices for infringing a Microsoft patent on syncing calendar events with other computers. The suit alleges Google has held secret meetings with US Customs, convincing the office to ignore the ban...

EU takes issue with Motorola’s patent abuse against Apple

In a preliminary ruling, the European Commission on Monday found that Motorola Mobility had abused its dominance in wireless communications patents in seeking an injunction against Apple in Germany. The finding opens the door to a potential antitrust charges to be filed against Google. The EU in its formal statement of objections informed the Google-owned smartphone maker of its allegations that it had leveraged its market position and abused standards-essential patents in order to enforce an injunction against Apple...

ITC drops Motorola’s complaint against Apple over proximity sensor patent

Apple's patent troubles with the struggling handset maker has largely been viewed as a proxy fight with Google, which acquired Motorola Mobility along with its vast patent portfolio in August 2011 for $12.5 billion. Two and a half years ago Motorola asserted its proximity sensor patent against Apple. Monday, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) threw Motorola's complaint out of the window, invalidating Motorola's patent because it's too obvious. That's good news for Apple as Google was hoping to leverage that patent to seek an import ban against iPhones...

German court invalidates Apple’s slide-to-unlock patent, but it’s not big deal

A German court ruled invalid Apple's patent for a sliding touchscreen unlocking image, marking another win for allies of Google's Android mobile operating. In its ruling in favor of the Google-owned Motorola, the country's Federal Patent Court slammed the iPhone maker's slide-to-unlock patent as devoid of "technological innovation." Still, a long-running patent dispute which began in 2011 may still live on as Apple's legal team prepares for a round of appeals, according to Friday reports...

ITC to investigate Google’s complaint against Apple

Even though Motorola Mobility filed a complaint against Apple on August 17, the handset maker is now a Google-owned entity so this really reads as the Google v. Apple complaint. Unsurprisingly, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) today announced that it will be instituting a formal investigation of this complaint.

Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the ITC will set a target date for completing the investigation and a panel of six administrative law judges will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing pertaining to Motorola's (excuse me, Google's) complaint...

Apple wins preliminary sales ban against Motorola devices in Germany

Hot on the heels of their big victory against Samsung here in the United States, Apple's legal team has just won another important decision against Motorola in Munich, German.

The German court has just awarded the Cupertino company a preliminary sales ban against Motorola's phones and tablets in the country, ruling that they infringe on Apple's patents...

Motorola and Apple reach patent licensing agreement in Germany

In addition to its worldwide patent battle with Samsung, Apple has also locked horns with Motorola in courtrooms around the globe. It's a familiar scenario: Apple has accused Motorola of stealing its innovations, and Motorola has used its large collection of wireless patents to fight back.

Motorola has actually won a handful of notable victories in the battle, mostly in Germany, successfully winning bans on products and knocking iCloud email push offline. But it looks like the two sides have called a ceasefire, as they've just reached a major patent license agreement...

Apple involved in 60% of all major mobile patent suits

When Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone back in 2007, he commented "and boy have we patented it." The CEO knew that Apple had something special on its hands, and that everyone else was going to try and replicate it.

He was right. Those patents he was referring to have since been involved in hundreds of lawsuits around the globe. In fact, a new report suggests that Apple is actually at the center of 60% of all major mobile litigation...