Legal

US town to make texting while walking illegal. Really!

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

We all know that texting while driving is a huge safety risk and illegal in most countries and states, but what about texting while walking? Is that dangerous, too? Maybe this is the perfect ad for Apple's Siri?

If you've ever walked into a lamp post whilst sending a message – come on, admit it – then you'll probably say yes, but we doubt most would agree. If you happen to be passing through one US town though, texting while working could actually land you in trouble and hurt your wallet to boot.

Fort Lee, New Jersey, is set to be the first to ban texting while walking, with a fine being levied against those that flout the law. No, really...

Apple tells court Samsung ruined evidence

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 11, 2012

In an ongoing legal fray, Apple dealt another blow to Samsung, its key supplier of NAND flash chips, displays and processors for iPhones and iPads.

The iPhone maker has accused the international conglomerate of purposefully destroying documents that would have been advantageous to Apple's position.

Apple now wants the judge to instruct the jury as follows...

Up next for Rovio: Casey’s Contraptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Eagle-eyed readers spotted something interesting at the end of yesterday's clip accompanying the one billionth Angry Birds download milestone: a character that looks a lot like that in Casey's Contraptions, a charming and addictive puzzle game by Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut.

Confirming speculation, Rovio's vice president of franchise development Ville Heijari confirmed his company acquired all rights to Casey's Contraptions. The iPad version has already been pulled from the App Store as the Angry Birds maker works on a new version that will hit iOS, Android and other platforms this summer...

Apple offers $16M to settle iPad dispute, but Proview wants $400M

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

Confirming the latest rumor asserting a possible settlement, Apple has reportedly offered Proview just $16 million for the rights to use the iPad moniker in China.

That's a far cry from a whopping $400 million the cash-strapped display maker is allegedly seeking in order to settle the trademark dispute and appease its creditors.

At the same time, Apple too is in a hurry to settle this dispute as the company looks to launch its new iPad in the all too important 1.33 billion people market, without risking a country-wide sales ban...

Apple to judge: Samsung became top smartphone maker thanks to infringement

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2012

Less than two weeks before Samsung and Apple chief executives will meet for court-moderated settlement talks in San Francisco, the two frenemies cut the number of claims roughly in half in an effort to expedite the process and ahead of a summer trial.

That didn’t stop the parties from the usual bickering, with Apple saying Samsung’s copyright infringement practice has allowed the South Korean conglomerate to claim the top spot in worldwide smartphone sales.

Returning favor, Samsung argued Apple is “unable to compete”...

Apple appeases Proview with a settlement figure

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 17, 2017

For months, lawyers for California-based Apple and bankrupt monitor vendor Proview have been trying to negotiate a way out of a high-stake trademark dispute which has been holding back the launch of the new iPad in the 1.33 billion people China market.

According to the latest update out from China’s official government newswire Xinhua, Apple has now put a dollar value on their settlement offer to Proview, finally moving the ball forward...

Apple asks court to hide Samsung logo from jurors on court televisions

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2012

As Apple and Samsung continue to duke it out in courts the world over, the iPhone maker has filed an unusual request with the U.S. district court, seeking to conceal from jurors the Samsung logo seen on television sets used in the courtroom. Apparently, Apple fears that the subconscious effects of the Samsung logo on court-owned TV sets might potentially skew their perspective...

Apple and Samsung bosses meeting on May 21-22 to talk patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

As previously hinted, top dogs at Apple and Samsung will meet next month to discuss a possible settlement to the ongoing patent war which has seen minor casualties on both sides, but has otherwise failed to produce an outright winner. A new report claims the upcoming mediation will take place on May 21 and May 22, starting on each day at 9:30am.

The court-moderated settlement talk is to seek an alternative dispute resolution to the more than fifty lawsuits the two technology giants have filed against each other in little more than a year in courts the world over...

Guy says iPad Smart Cover violates his patent, sues Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A guy from Colorado apparently owns rights to a seven-year-old patent he claims resembles technologies and ideas Apple employed to create the Smart Cover case for the iPad.

Feeling confident enough, this dude filed a suit against the iPad maker in the United States District Court of Colorado, aiming to squeeze ongoing royalties out of Apple or a one-time payment of a cool hundred thousand bucks...

Government officials say Proview owns iPad trademark as court mediates a settlement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

The rights to use the iPad moniker in the 1.33 billion people market of China belong to the bankrupt display maker Proview, a Chinese government official told Reuters this morning.

The official quote indicates that Chinese government is very much interested in helping Proview prevail by gently pushing Apple into a court-moderated mediation leading to a possible settlement.

The mediation was first hinted by IDG News Service last week. Should Apple continue its court fight with Proview to lose the case, it could face a big fine plus a country-wide ban on iPad sales in China...

iCloud boss Eddy Cue: Uncle Sam is lost in agency model

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 23, 2012

The United States Department of Justice (DoJ), which filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five major publishers for alleged price fixing of electronic books sold on the iBookstore, is painfully lost in the intricacies of the so-called agency model exercised on the iBookstore, says Apple's Eddy Cue.

Unlike Amazon which gets to dictate prices, often at the expense of publishers, Apple lets publishers set their own price tags on the iTunes store, opting instead to take its standard 30 percent cut.

Somehow, the government alleges such a practice, which has been widely accepted on iTunes since the dawn of time, is the product of a conspiracy.

Now, Apple had to dispatch its online services boss to set the record straight, saying the government doesn't have a clue...

Talks are underway to settle iPad trademark dispute in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 20, 2012

Apple is in talks with bankrupt display maker Proview of China over the iPad trademark dispute that has delayed the launch of the third-generation tablet in the 1.33 billion people market, a new report out today alleges.

The two parties have reportedly entered a voluntary mediation procedure that could lead to negotiations over a possible settlement.

If no deal is reached, the higher court will have to make a ruling and the severe consequences for Apple, should it loose the case, could include a hefty fine and a country-wide ban on iPad sales in China...