Patent

University of Wisconsin takes Apple to court over A7’s performance-enhancing tricks

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2014

The University of Wisconsin via its patent-licensing arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging the company's in-house designed A7 chip infringes the foundation's patent designed to improve "the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors" by introducing a new process for allowing quicker execution of processor instructions.

It's been reported Monday that Apple's 64-bit A7 chip, which acts as the primary engine driving the iPhone 5s, the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display, apparently uses this technology without permission...

Samsung and Google agree to 10-year patent deal

Cody Lee ∙ January 26, 2014

Huge news coming out of Mountain View this afternoon. Google has announced that it has reached a global patent cross-licensing agreement with Android heavyweight Samsung, covering a broad range of technologies and business areas.

Few details are known about the agreement at this time, but the companies have said that it's a 10-year deal and that it covers all current and future technology patents. The move will bolster the patent positions for both Samsung and Google...

Judge tosses two Samsung claims ahead of Apple patent trial

Cody Lee ∙ January 22, 2014

Apple and Samsung are gearing up for round 2 of their landmark US patent trial. The first round ended in Samsung paying nearly $1 billion in damages for infringing on some of Apple's patents, and this new trial will look for similar infringement in newer devices.

The court proceedings don't start for another two months, but Samsung has already suffered two big blows. This week, Judge Lucy Koh found the company's multimedia synchronization patent to be invalid, and found it to infringe on an Apple autocorrect patent...

Candy Crush Saga creator trademarks ‘candy’, goes after App Store devs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Social games developer King, perhaps best-known for its wildly popular Candy Crush Saga match-three game (free in the App Store, currently #9 on the free apps chart), has filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeking to trademark the word 'candy'.

And guess what? King won the trademark last week and is now asking fellow developers to remove games with 'candy' in their name. The full story is right after the break...

VirnetX files motion to add Apple’s newest products to latest infringement suit

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2014

VirnetX announced today that it will attempt to add Apple's most recent slate of products—including the iPhone 5s and iPad Air—to its ongoing patent infringement suit against the company. It filed the motion this morning in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

For those unfamiliar with VirnetX, it's a well-known patent holding firm that won in upwards of $400 million in damages from Apple in a case involving the FaceTime feature last year. Apple has since changed the feature to avoid further infringement, but apparently not enough...

The Apple-Nokia patent deal is expiring December 31, 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

You may remember that back in June 2011 Apple lost a patent infringement case that the Finnish handset maker Nokia had filed against the Cupertino company, resulting in an undisclosed one-time payment and ongoing royalties to Nokia for use of their patents. The Nokia CEO Stephen Elop was “very pleased” to have Apple join Nokia licensees.

However, the essentials of the contract have for the most part remained confidential. Today, we get to learn more about the terms of the deal as Samsung told a U.S. court that the patent pact is expiring on December 31, 2016...

Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation ahead of patent trial

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

According to new paperwork filed earlier this afternoon, Apple and Samsung have agreed to attend a mediation session next month ahead of their second major US patent trial, which is slated to begin on March 31.

The meeting is to take place on or before February 19, and is to be attended by Tim Cook, Samsung's Oh-Hyun Kwon and their respective in-house lawyers. And they will attempt to discuss settlement opportunities...

BlackBerry going after Ryan Seacrest’s ‘Typo’ keyboard for patent infringement

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Last month, we told you about an interesting new accessory coming out this year for the iPhone called the 'Typo.' It's a case with a built-in Bluetooth keyboard that bills itself as the perfect solution for the folks who still carry both an iPhone and a BlackBerry.

Well, as you can imagine, this hasn't sat well with BlackBerry. And today the Canadian handset-maker announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Typo, co-founded by TV personality Ryan Seacrest, for "blatantly" copying its iconic QWERTY keyboard design...

Apple and Samsung again discussing patent dispute settlement

Cody Lee ∙ December 30, 2013

Apple and Samsung are said to again be conferring over a possible settlement to their years-long patent dispute. According to a new report, the two companies are in "working level discussions" regarding a potential deal.

There are still major obstacles though, and the two firms have a lot of work to do in terms of narrowing their differences over royalty fees and patent access. Apple, for example, wants Samsung to pay up to $30 per device...

Siri may soon sort through your photos, new Apple invention reveals

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

With the ever-improving capabilities of smartphone cameras and so many great moments to capture on the go and share with your Instagram followers, browsing the hundreds - often times even thousands - of photographs in your iOS Camera Roll just to find that great shot of your significant other you've taken some time last year is starting to increasingly feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Sure, you can import iPhoto or Aperture albums or create your own ones right on your device. And yes, Apple's improved the photo management capabilities of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices by introducing new features in iOS 7, such as the ability to automatically group your photographs based on time taken and location.

A new patent now reveals that Apple could tap Siri to let you sort through your photos - and even tag them - just by using your voice...

Apple researching hover touch sensing and embedded heart rate monitoring

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

A pair of patent applications filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office earlier in the week have hinted that Apple's iPhone could gain a new sensor letting the smartphone detect your cardiac signal when it's picked up. The invention would permit your iPhone to identify you by your heartbeat.

Furthermore, the company appears to be researching hover sensing technology like that found on Samsung's Galaxy S4, which is capable of detecting touch events even when a user's finger is not really in contact with the touchscreen...

Apple’s ‘Rockstar Consortium’ considering Nortel patent sale

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In 2011, Apple teamed up with a number of tech companies including Microsoft and BlackBerry to form what many called the 'Rockstar consortium' to purchase a collection of over 4,000 patents from Nortel, a communications company that went bankrupt in 2009.

Bloomberg is now reporting that the consortium is currently holding discussion regarding a potential sale of a portion of the patents—which it paid in upwards of $4.5 billion for—after several attempts to land large licensing deals from other companies have failed...