Legal

Apple Pays Company $5 Million to Settle Patent Lawsuit

Guest Author ∙ January 5, 2012

In April of 2009, Taiwanese chip and touch screen maker Elan Microelectronics Corp. filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the Cupertino-based company had infringed upon many of its touch-based patents. Apple counterclaimed in a Northern California district court with allegations that Elan had violated multiple Apple patents itself.

The patent in question, U.S. Patent Number 5,825,352, is described as a "multiple fingers contact sensing method for emulating mouse buttons and mouse operations on a touch sensor pad." The U.S. International Trade Commission investigated the claims in April 2010, but ultimately ruled in June 2010 that Elan had failed to establish that Apple was violating the patent.

The case remained unresolved, until today...

Apple and Jailbreaking Make it Onto EFF’s Christmas Wish List

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 29, 2011

Every year the Electronic Frontier Foundation releases its "wish list," a list that points out the flaws the EFF sees in tech companies and their openness. This year has seen Apple only appear in that list once, and in a particularly predictable manner.

The EFF, according to its list, would like Apple to allow users to easily gain root access to their devices, giving them complete control over how they work as well as offering a way to install apps without going through Apple's App Store.

Unsurprisingly Apple is not so keen on taking that approach, though there are ways to get root access should you really want to...

Apple’s Latest Patent Victory: In-Call Multitasking

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 21, 2011

Apple is having quite the week, especially considering we are just a few short days away from Christmas. First, the lawyers Apple keeps in a Cupertino basement successfully got the ITC to ban HTC's handsets due to a patent infringement, and now the company has been granted yet another patent to beat the competition with.

The patent awarded is for a "portable electronic device with graphical user interface supporting application switching." That may sound extremely wide-reaching, but we are told that things get a little more specific than that, should Apple actually decide to wield this particular club.

What the patent boils down to is the ability to multitask during a call, something the iPhone was praised for back in the day...

HTC Already Working to Remove Patent-Infringing Apple Feature From Its Devices

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 27, 2017

Apple's recent court victory that saw the International Trade Commission ban HTC smartphones from sale in the United States may not be as useful as we originally thought.

HTC's Chief Executive Peter Chou shared today that his company is already hard at work removing or altering the functionality that the ITC deemed as violating one of Apple's patents. The patent was in relation to technology which allows software to recognise data such as phone numbers or addresses and then format them as tappable links.

HTC, for its part, believes that the technology is rarely used in their software, and that its removal will have little impact on the overall experience of using its products...

Apple Sues Samsung Again Over Tablets and Cases

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 27, 2017

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung never seems to end. Today Apple sued Samsung again in Sydney, Australia, claiming that Samsung's phones and tablets infringe on its design patents.

While both companies have sued each other over similar claims in recent months (totaling over 30 different lawsuits across 4 continents), Apple has brought more cases of infringement before the court this time around.

ITC Rules in Favor of Apple, Bans HTC Products From the US

Cody Lee ∙ December 19, 2011

It's essentially "D-day" for HTC and its Android-flavored devices here in The States. After weeks of postponing, the ITC (International Trade Commission) has finally made a decision in the Apple vs. HTC patent dispute case.

We told you about the lawsuit earlier this month in which Apple is suing the Taiwanese manufacturer for infringing on four of its patents. The outcome could have a huge impact on both companies. So, what did the ITC decide?

Many Naughty New York City Merchants Caught Buying Stolen iOS Devices

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 19, 2011

It's pretty clear that Apple's iPhone and iPad line is a popular one amongst shoppers, but while most will pick up their new gadgets the legitimate way, it is an unfortunate fact that some will seek to procure their Apple devices by less scrupulous means.

New York City is one place where iPhone thefts in particular are almost commonplace, and iPads are fast becoming one of the most sought after devices as well. That's why the New York City Police set about trying to track down the places where stolen iPhones and iPads go once they have been lifted, and as a result have made 141 arrests.

Checking out over 600 locations believed participate in the sales of stolen Apple hardware, the NYPD made the arrests after offering to sell devices for between $50 and $200, all the while clearly identifying that the goods were stolen.

Samsung Denied iPhone 4S Ban Request in France

Sébastien Page ∙ December 8, 2011

In a new episode of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, the Korean electronics giant saw its request for a ban of the iPhone 4S in France denied, as reported by AllThingsD:

Describing Samsung’s plea for an injunction as a “disproportionate” measure, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris ruled Samsung must reimburse Apple $134,100 for its legal fees. But it also denied Apple’s request for damages and said Samsung’s infringement lawsuit against its rival can move forward.

Next episode will be in Milan next week, where the Milan court will be holding a hearing of Samsung's request to ban the iPhone 4S in Italy.

EFF Pleads to Make Jailbreaking Legal For all Devices

Alex Heath ∙ December 6, 2011

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked the US Copyright Office to make legal the jailbreaking of all consumer electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, and video game consoles. The proposal aims to remove jailbreaking, or gaining root access to a device, from being prohibited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The EFF has also asked that electronic companies not oppose the jailbreaking of their products.

In July of 2010 the EFF won its first landmark case for this cause when the US government passed a law making the jailbreaking of Apple's iPhone and iOS platform legal. Now, the EFF wants to make jailbreaking legal on all devices.

Apple Awaits Major Court Decision That Could Ban HTC Phones in the US

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2011

Although Apple's patent war with Samsung has received a lot of media attention over the last few months, its battle with HTC has been just as fierce. In fact, it was HTC's multi-touch-enabled handset that first sent Steve Jobs through the roof last year.

As with Samsung, Apple has taken HTC on in dozens of courtrooms around the globe. But perhaps none of them are more important than the case going on in the United States right now. Its outcome could have huge ramifications for both companies...

Apple Gave Samsung the Opportunity to License Its Patents

Cody Lee ∙ December 3, 2011

Among its various patent lawsuits with Samsung and other Android partners, Apple has made one thing clear: it's in the business of making great products, not licensing patents. It's not in it for the money, it's in it to ensure that its unique products stay unique.

But that doesn't mean that Apple won't license low-level iOS patents. It's already done so with companies like Nokia and IBM. And as it turns out, Apple has even tried to offer Samsung the opportunity to license its patents. But for some reason, the Korean company declined...

Apple Denied Preliminary Injunction Request Against Samsung in the US

Sébastien Page ∙ December 3, 2011

This is a big victory for Samsung in the US, which could change the course of legal battles between the two companies in other countries. Reuters reports:

Apple failed to convince a U.S. judge to block Samsung Electronics from selling Galaxy smartphones and tablets in the U.S. market, depriving the iPhone and iPad maker of crucial leverage in a global patent battle between the two companies.

I wish Apple and Samsung would reach an agreement so we can put this behind us once and for all.