Legal

Apple Gives Samsung List of Workarounds for Design Patents

Cody Lee ∙ December 2, 2011

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 6 months, chances are you're aware of the ongoing feud between Samsung and Apple. It all started with Apple filing a patent infringement suit against the Korean company for copying its product designs.

The lawsuits have turned out to be a nightmare for Samsung, as the company has been banned from selling its Galaxy tablet in multiple countries, including Germany and Australia. Apparently, Samsung could have avoided all of this with a few, simple design changes...

Australian Court Extends Galaxy Tablet Ban One Week

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 27, 2017

A week after overturning a Samsung tablet ban ruling in Australia, a judge has now extended the ban for one more week, as reported by Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) won a one-week extension of a ban on Samsung Electronics Co.’s sales of its latest tablet computer in Australia, delaying pre-Christmas sales, in a battle that began in April in the U.S. and spread to four continents.

High Court Justice John Dyson Heydon today extended the ban on the release of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Dec. 9. On that day, the country’s top court will consider Apple’s request for permission to appeal a lower court’s order issued earlier this week, which lifted a ban on the product that has been in place since mid-October.

Drama down under!

AT&T iPhone 3GS Price Bump is Meant to Prevent Fraud

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 22, 2011

Since AT&T increased the price of the iPhone 3GS from a bargainous FREE to the perplexing $0.99, we've all been asking the same question: Why? When Apple announced the iPhone 4S, they made a point of repricing the iPhone 3GS as a free option.

Why would AT&T take the unusual step or increasing the price of a handset that Apple itself had declared would be free, and increase it by just a dollar? Strange indeed.

The move was perhaps not as strange as we originally thought. One forum member claiming to work for AT&T believes they may have the answer, and it's all about stopping fraudsters from stealing handsets...

Apple Goes After Amazon in Court Again Over Using the Term “App Store”

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 19, 2011

While Apple's long-running legal battle with Samsung has been consistently receiving the headlines, Tim Cook's band of highly paid lawyers are also going after another one of the tech industry's big boys, Amazon. Since the beginning of the battle back in March, Apple has been suing the retailer/tablet-maker over its use of the phrase "App Store."

Apple has now revised that lawsuit, claiming that Amazon has altered the way it uses the phrase, removing "for Android" from the end of the company's description of the app store implemented in its new tablet, the Kindle Fire.

Simply calling its store the "Amazon Appstore," Amazon is risking the wrath of Apple's lawyers again...

Samsung Won’t Try to Block iPhone 4S Sales in Korea

Sébastien Page ∙ November 14, 2011

Looks like Samsung changed their mind about trying to block sales of the iPhone 4S in Korea.

Samsung Electronics has decided not to seek an injunction against the sale of Apple's iPhone 4S in the domestic market. The new iPhone went on sale here last Friday. Samsung had debated until the last moment whether to file the motion after making similar applications in France, Italy, Australia, and Japan.

The decision was apparently driven by public-relations concerns. A senior Samsung executive said, "We concluded that we should engage in legal battles with Apple only in the global market, but not in order to gain more market share in Korea."

I guess Samsung would rather engage legal battles in larger markets, like France, Germany, etc... This is obviously a work in progress.

Samsung Being Investigated for Possible Antitrust Practices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Back in April of this year, Apple filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. The Korean manufacturer responded with a counter-infringement lawsuit, and the two companies have been in and out of courtrooms ever since.

In their latest battle, Samsung attempted to bar Apple's products from the European Union, once again based on patent infringement. But instead of winning an injunction, Samsung caught the eye of the European Commission...

Apple Loses Chief of Security Over Lost iPhone Prototype

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 5, 2011

Those paying attention will no doubt remember the story about one unlucky fellow who received a visit from the police, along with a team of security personnel from Apple. Well, it turns out that the fallout from that visit isn't yet over, with Apple losing its Vice President of Global Security over the matter.

Apple allegedly lost yet another iPhone prototype recently, and using the power of Find My iPhone they decided it was in the possession of a Bernal Heights resident. Apple and the San Francisco Police then rolled up to the guy's house and asked for it back. Apple's security team even offered to buy it back, but alas, the man in question didn't have it...

AT&T Expected to Merge With T-Mobile in “First Half” of Next Year

Alex Heath ∙ Updated July 7, 2017

AT&T has leaked its estimation for when the T-Mobile merger will close in a recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Spotted by Electronista, the filing says that AT&T expects the merger to take place in the "first half" of 2012.

Several organizations, including the US Justice Department, have kept AT&T and T-Mobile battling with the courts since AT&T announced the acquisition back in March. If all goes according to plan, T-Mobile will be owned by AT&T before Spring of next year...

Samsung to Apple: Give Us the iPhone 4S Source Code

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Samsung has requested that Apple hand over the source code for the iPhone 4S firmware along with the dark details of its iPhone subsidy agreements with Australian carriers. In the ongoing legal battle between Samsung and Apple, both companies continue to accuse each other of infringing on each other's patents.

After fighting legal battles in multiple countries around the world, Samsung and Apple have landed in the Australian court to duke it out. This time, Samsung is countering Apple's preliminary injunction on the Galaxy Tab with its own preliminary injunction against the newly-released iPhone 4S.

Judge Denies Samsung’s Request to Ban iPhone 4S in Italy

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Here we go again. In the pissing contest legal battle that has now been going on for months between Samsung and Apple, an Italian judge has once again decided to side with Apple.

According to Italian news website AGI, a judge denied Samsung's request to ban the iPhone 4S in Italy. While the judge turned down Samsung's request, she did ask both companies to provide further evidence, which will be reviewed later in December...

Court Sentences Men Accused of Selling iPhone 4 Prototype to Gizmodo

Sébastien Page ∙ October 12, 2011

It looks like the iPhone 4 debacle is getting one step closer to its end, as Brian Hogan, the man who found the iPhone 4 prototype last year, and Sage Wallower, the man who helped Hogan pitch the sale of the device to tech blogs, have been sentenced by the court.

The two were sentenced to one year of probation, 40 hours of public service, and a requirement to pay $250 each in restitution to Apple...

Samsung Wants to Ban the iPhone 4S in France and Italy

Sébastien Page ∙ October 5, 2011

And the pissing contest between Samsung and Apple continues. This time, the Korean electronics giant filed requests for preliminary injunction in France and Italy, citing two patent infringements related to wireless telecommunications technology, specifically Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards for 3G mobile handsets.

The goal of this legal operation? Blocking the iPhone 4S sales in those two countries...