Lodsys

Apple loses fight to stop patent troll Lodsys

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The beat goes on for primo patent troll Lodsys. Apple's attempt to intervene in a concerted clipping of iOS developers failed after a patent-owner friendly judge dismissed the tech giant's legal motion. U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap in East Texas ruled Apple's motion "is far outside the scope" of his courtroom.

The decision effectively opens the door to Lodsys settling all cases with defendants, thereby ending a 2011 effort by Apple to shield hundreds of thousands of individual iOS developers from being sued for patent-infringement by Lodsys...

Obama administration takes aim at patent trolls with legislative changes

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 5, 2013

After spending last week under the hot lights of Congressional investigators about its taxes, Apple hopes to switch gears and ask for government help fighting so-called patent trolls. Among the iPhone maker's potential allies: U.S. President Obama, who reportedly plans to limit such costly legal nuisance lawsuits.

As part of the proposed plan the White House is expected to unveil, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) would gain some teeth, requiring patent holders to disclose companies which actually own the technology, reports the Wall Street Journal...

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...

Lawsuit against Apple’s Passbook is Lodsys redux

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple is again in the sights of a company with patents and an itchy trigger finger. The iPhone's Passbook feature, which allows consumers to store tickets, loyalty cards, coupons and such digitally, is the target of San Diego-based Ameranth. The company is seeking triple damages, claiming in the lawsuit that the Cupertino, Calif. technology giant willfully infringed on Ameranth patents on wireless mobile payments.

The company has already sued the likes of Hilton, Marriott and Ticketmaster and gotten 14 other companies to ink licensing pacts. TechCrunch spoke to the CEO of one of the companies who'd rather pay than suffer some long drawn-out legal fight. The interview is enough to send cold shivers up Apple developers who survived the 2011 patent uproar from Lodsys...

Apple Fires Back at Lodsys, Insists to Intervene in Lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ August 9, 2011

The ongoing litigation between Lodsys and a large group of iOS developers just took another turn yesterday. If you've been living under a rock for the past 90 days, then you should be informed that Lodsys is suing a handful of iOS app developers for infringing on their recently purchased patents.

About 2 months ago, Apple filed a motion to intervene as a defendant against the patent licensing firm, but was quickly met with an objection from Lodsys' lawyers. After a few weeks of silence, Apple finally filed a response yesterday — and it's good...

Lodsys Attacks Angry Birds and Others in More Lawsuits

Cody Lee ∙ July 22, 2011

The legal team over at Lodsys doesn't seem to have been phased at all by Apple's cease and desist letter, or attempt to intervene in the patent dispute. Not only is the company not backing down, they've actually upped the ante.

FOSSPatents reported yesterday that Lodsys has amended its patent complaint and modified the list of defendants. 5 new companies were added to Lodsys' infringement case, including Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Atari, Square Enix and Rovio- the makers of Angry Birds...

Another Patent Troll Pops Up, Seeks License Deals from Apple and Others

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

While the Lodsys saga with Apple and its developers drudges on, another company has decided to join in the patent troll party. This time, it's an Indian-based company by the name of Kootol, and this time, they're not just going after the little guys.

FOSSPatents is reporting that Kootol has distributed a press release announcing that it has sent "notices" to a long list of companies (large and small) regarding their use of Kootol's Intellectual Property. The IP in question involves social "feeds" like you'd find in Twitter or Facebook...

Apple Files Motion to Intervene in Lodsys Litigation

Cody Lee ∙ June 10, 2011

When Lodsys originally filed their complaints last month, everyone looked at Apple for answers. Though the Cupertino company has been relatively quiet concerning the Lodsys litigation, their legal department is finally starting to make some noise.

iOS developers have been holding vigilant to see if Apple would step up and help them defend against the threats from the patent licensing firm. After a cease and desist letter failed to stop the lawsuits, Apple has decided to get legally involved...