Lawsuit

Bought an iBook? You could be eligible for a credit amid $65M price fixing settlement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 20, 2016

If you bought Walter Isaacson's official Steve Jobs biography, titles from the New York Times bestseller list or other iBooks from Apple (or e-books from other retailers) between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012, you may be eligible for your share of the $65 million settlement in the e-book price fixing scandal. Amazon and Apple started emailing customers that the settlement has been reached between the State Attorneys General and book publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

Though Apple has not been sued in this case, the company is "assisting in providing this notice as a service to its customers". Companies will compensate eligible customers from $0.30 to $1.32 per e-book as the named publishers already paid $69 million into a settlement fund...

Microsoft targets Android’s Google Maps app in German patent lawsuit

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2012

Google's pricey $12.5 acquisition of handset maker Motorola Mobility didn't change the dynamics of patent wars as Google hoped it would. Recently, Microsoft and Apple scored a major win in a patent dispute in Germany, forcing Google's Motorola subsidiary to pull all of its Android-based smartphones and tablets from store shelves in the country.

Luck continues to be in short supply at Mountain View, California. Today, the Windows maker has expanded the Motorola patent case to include Google Maps for Android, specifically naming Google as a defendant.

As the public fight between Google and Microsoft gets uglier, Google faces a real possibility of Google Maps becoming unavailable in Germany as early as next spring. Ouch!

Lodsys: more than 150 developers have licensed our patents

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

A little over a year ago, a patent licensing company by the name of Lodsys started going after app developers with its claimed in-app purchasing patents, threatening legal action if they didn't agree to licensing deals.

The company went on to file infringement suits against a handful of developers, and eventually Apple got involved. And we haven't really heard anything since then, until today, when Lodsys published a new blog post...

Apple offered Samsung a cross-licensing deal prior to trial

Cody Lee ∙ October 4, 2012

As the wave of injunction motions and appeals requests continue in the aftermath of this summer's high-profile Apple vs. Samsung trial, another interesting tidbit has been brought to light.

According to recently-filed court documents, it looks like Apple tried to offer Samsung a cross-licensing deal involving 3G/UMTS patents back in April, hoping to avoid at least some litigation...

Samsung gets even, sues Apple over the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

The Apple vs. Samsung legal spat is far from over. Apple started this war but Samsung is determined to win in the long run. Making good on its promise and multiple threats to sue Apple over 4G wireless networking technology used in the iPhone 5, the South Korean conglomerate filed suit against Apple over the alleged patent infringements in the iPhone 5...

Amazon asks judge to drop the ‘App Store’ claim

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 27, 2012

Online retailer Amazon has asked a federal judge to throw out Apple's legal maneuvering seeking to challenging Amazon's use of the "Appstore" term due to similarities with Apple's App Store trademark. The contention erupted in March of last year, when Apple sued Amazon over the App Store moniker. The online retailer was using the ‘app store’ term in their developer portal and other marketing materials, with Apple arguing the similarity with its own App Store name may have led to customer confusion...

Swiss Federal Railways to meet with Apple to talk iPad clock design

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2012

That beautiful clock design in Apple's new iPad Clock app in iOS 6 has evidently been copied from the Swiss Federal Railway service as they are the sole owner of the trademark and copyright of the railway clock. The Swiss firm, as previously reported, got in contact with Apple to talk the trademark dispute. According to a new report, its lawyers might be looking to eventually strike a licensing agreement of sorts with the Cupertino-based iPhone maker...

Apple asks for another $707 million in damages from Samsung

Cody Lee ∙ September 22, 2012

While fans from around the world were out trying to score the new iPhone 5 yesterday, Apple was busy filing its motions for the final judgement in its high-profile patent trial with Samsung.

As most of you know, a jury found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's patents last month, ordering it to pay more than $1 billion in damages. But Apple doesn't think that's enough...

Swiss Federal Railways says Apple copied its iconic clock in iOS 6

Cody Lee ∙ September 20, 2012

The latest iteration of Apple's mobile OS, iOS 6, has barely been out for 24 hours, but it's already causing quite a commotion. First, people seem to be really upset over the new Maps application. And now this.

According to a new report, Switzerland's Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, or the Swiss Federal Railway service, is accusing Apple of using their iconic clock in the new iPad Clock app in iOS 6 without permission...

Samsung may add iPhone 5 to US patent infringement lawsuit

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

If you thought the legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung was settled with August's patent-infringement jury decision, you were wrong. In a patent infringement lawsuit filed in February in the same San. Jose, Calif. courthouse that awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, the two rivals are preparing for a grudge match. Now the Wall Street Journal reports the South Korean smartphone maker "anticipates" it will add the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 4S in its list of allegedly infringing devices.

Judge denies Samsung’s motion to dissolve Galaxy Tab ban

Cody Lee ∙ September 18, 2012

US District Court Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung's motion to lift the injunction on its Galaxy Tab 10.1 last night. The decision comes in response to Samsung's August 27 request to dissolve the sales ban against its tablet.

Back in June, Koh granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the Tab due to patent infringement. But after the jury in last month's trial found that the tablet didn't infringe on Apple's IP, Samsung wanted the decision overturned..

ITC to investigate Google’s complaint against Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2012

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...