Apple

UK judge forces Apple to publicly state Samsung didn’t copy iPad design

What goes around comes around. Following a ruling by a United Kingdom court earlier in the month stating that Samsung's Galaxy tablets did not rip off the iPad's design because "they are not as cool" (yeah, it's exactly how the court put it), Judge Colin Birss today ordered that Apple publicize Samsung did not copy the iPad's design for its Galaxy Tab tablet.

The way things are now, we can't help but ask ourselves was it all worth it? If this is what Apple's copyright infringement claim against Galaxy tablets boils down to, maybe Apple shouldn't have sued in the first place. But wait 'till you hear the best part of the ruling...

Judge rejects requests for secrecy in Samsung-Apple case

This is interesting. US District Court Judge Lucy Koh has just rejected several secrecy requests from both Apple and Samsung in their ongoing patent dispute.

The proposals were made in hopes to keep patents and other "key documents" out of public view during the trial, which is set to kick off at the end of the month...

Samsung snaps up UK’s fabless chip maker CSR to better compete with Apple

Adamant to strengthen its portfolio of wireless patents (that seem to be all the rage these days) and help differentiate its smartphone and mobile chip businesses, Samsung ponied up $310 million for the mobile business of Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) PLC, based out in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

With this transaction due for completion by the fourth quarter this year, Samsung will control CSR's patents related to Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS and obtain interesting handset technology that could help differentiate its flagship smartphones.

Samsung is of course embroiled in patent fights with Apple in courts across the world. At the same time, the company dedicates substantial resources to fabbing mobile chips found inside Apple's iOS devices.

Samsung appears keen on taking advantage of CSR's research and development capability as it looks to improve its own mobile chips, possibly leading to unique hardware features down the road...

Samsung widens lead over Apple, sells 50M smartphones in June quarter

Samsung, the maker of Galaxy smartphones and tablets, has widened its lead over Apple in the second quarter of this year, according to a non-scientific poll conducted by Reuters. It is estimated that Samsung sold 50 million smartphones in the June quarter while Apple is seeing selling 30.5 million iPhones.

Of course, the South Korean conglomerate recently launched the Galaxy S III smartphone, its flagship product backed with an aggressive advertising campaign, while Apple is left to fight with the nine-months-old iPhone 4S as the new iPhone won't arrive until September or October...

Apple is inspiring other brands to change their retail experience

There was a graphic that started circulating the internet several months back, demonstrating how Apple has affected the smartphone industry. It showed what handsets looked like before and after the original iPhone was released. And the differences were tremendous.

There was a similar image that showed how Apple has impacted the tablet market. Before the iPad, tablets were 2-3-inches thick, had styluses, and ran desktop operating systems. And then after it, they all became thin, multi-touch tablets running mobile software.

Now it looks like it's time for someone to make another graphic showing how Apple has affected retail stores...

Apple aggressively demands that retailers cease stocking banned Galaxy gear

Apple is reportedly going after several United States-based resellers and wireless carriers who have Samsung's Galaxy gadgets on offer, choosing to send takedown notices stemming from a recent sales ban rulings.

In a report over at his blog FOSS Patents, patent expert Florian Müeller notes that Apple's legal sharks contacted U.S. telcos and retailers, demanding they remove the banned Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphone...

Retina display supplier Samsung, others settle price fixing suit for $1.12B

Apple's key components provider Samsung which supplies, among other items, Retina panels for the new iPad, agreed along with other defendants to settle a price fixing class-action lawsuit for a whopping $1.12 billion.

Samsung has agreed to pay $240 million, AU Optronics will pony up $170 million, Toshiba will pay only $21 million and LG Display will settle for $380 million in damages.

This settlement - the largest consumer class-action price-fixing settlement ever - is in addition to previous settlements from ten manufacturers and prison terms for some executives, The Wall Street Journal reported...

What do you get when you combine the iPhone 5 with the Galaxy S III?

Samsung's Galaxy S III and Apple's next-generation iPhone are arguably the two most highly-anticipated smartphone releases of 2012. The S III just recently starting hitting retail stores, and Apple is expected to unveil its next iPhone later this fall.

Choosing between the two will end up being a tough choice for some consumers, as both handsets will obviously have their benefits. But what if you didn't have to? What if you could have the best of both worlds? Enter the iSung Galaxy V...

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...

Sprint intervenes, opposes Galaxy Nexus ban

The iPhone-friendly carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest telco, today filed amicus brief (a legal opinion) with the Federal Circuit concerning a sales injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone sought by Apple. Sprint is arguing that no party, Apple included, should be allowed to leverage a sales ban as "a staple of the smartphone wars".

The carrier paints itself as an "unwitting victim" of the large-scale Apple-Samsung legal wrangling, saying it just wants the issue to be fully resolved without an immediate ban...

Court of Appeals suspends Galaxy Nexus injunction, upholds Tab ban

There have been some significant developments in the Samsung v. Apple patent dispute case this afternoon. The last we heard, Apple had won U.S. injunctions on both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the Galaxy Nexus, and motions to stay those orders had been denied.

Samsung's last hope was for the Washington D.C.-based Court of Appeals to get involved, as it has jurisdiction over all IP proceedings. And it looks like it has made its decision on both cases this afternoon, ruling to uphold one ban, and suspend the other...