Patent

Court of Appeals suspends Galaxy Nexus injunction, upholds Tab ban

Cody Lee ∙ July 6, 2012

There have been some significant developments in the Samsung v. Apple patent dispute case this afternoon. The last we heard, Apple had won U.S. injunctions on both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the Galaxy Nexus, and motions to stay those orders had been denied.

Samsung's last hope was for the Washington D.C.-based Court of Appeals to get involved, as it has jurisdiction over all IP proceedings. And it looks like it has made its decision on both cases this afternoon, ruling to uphold one ban, and suspend the other...

Apple files for interesting bluetooth headset patent

Cody Lee ∙ July 6, 2012

Aside from making hit smartphones and tablets, Apple has produced a long line of iOS accessories. There's the Smart Cover, the iPad Keyboard Dock, the iPod Hi-Fi Stereo, oh and remember Apple's Bluetooth headset?

While the device didn't garner much consumer attention, it appears that Apple hasn't given up on the headset market. According to a new patent application, the company has another one in the works...

Galaxy Nexus pulled from Google Play Store in wake of Apple injunction

Cody Lee ∙ July 4, 2012

That didn't take long. Less than 12 hours after Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung's request to stay the Galaxy Nexus injunction, the handset disappears from Google Play Stores.

Last week, Apple was able to convince Koh that the Nexus was infringing on its patents — enough to warrant a preliminary ban. And it looks like that ban is already in effect...

Judge denies Samsung’s request to lift Galaxy Nexus ban

Cody Lee ∙ July 3, 2012

Just 24 hours after denying Samsung's motion to stay the Galaxy Tab injunction, Judge Lucy Koh has rejected the company's request to lift the ban on the Galaxy Nexus.

As it stands, Samsung will be forced to stop selling both the tablet and handset in the United States, unless the Court of Appeals steps in. But Google has a plan...

Judge rejects Samsung’s motion to stay Galaxy Tab injunction

Cody Lee ∙ July 2, 2012

U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh has rejected Samsung's motion to stay the Galaxy Tab ban this evening. Koh handed down the injunction ruling last week, citing "clear patent infringement."

Apple has already posted a $2.6 million bond to push the ban into effect. So as it stands right now, it looks like Samsung will soon have to stop selling its marquee tablet in the United States...

The 11 patents that are getting Android partners in trouble

Cody Lee ∙ July 2, 2012

The Android platform is under attack from a number of companies — not just Apple. Microsoft, for example, has forced several Android partners into licensing agreements due to patent infringements.

And between these settlements, and Apple's recent legal hot streak against Samsung, there's no denying that Google is guilty of illegally copying something from somewhere. But the question is, what?

Apple granted preliminary U.S. injunction on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus

Cody Lee ∙ June 29, 2012

Apple has just been granted a preliminary injunction on the sales of Samsung's popular Galaxy Nexus handset here in the U.S., based on possible patent infringement. The ruling comes just a week after the company won a similar injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet...

Apple wins injunction on U.S. sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab

Cody Lee ∙ June 26, 2012

Apple's legal team sure has been busy this week. First there was the Motorola patent case. Then there was the letter to the ITC regarding an old HTC case. And now this.

Reports are coming in this evening that Apple has just won a devastating preliminary injunction on the sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 here in the United States...

Apple says HTC lied to Customs, asks for another import ban

Cody Lee ∙ June 26, 2012

Late last year, the International Trade Commission found HTC to be infringing on one of Apple's patents. So the ITC gave the company until April to correct the problem, before enforcing a country-wide import ban on its products.

Long story short, shipments of several HTC devices were held up at U.S. customs last month due to the ruling. And even though it supposedly found a workaround, and the shipments were released, HTC isn't out of the woods just yet...

Apple could face U.S. ban on products over 3G patent

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2012

The U.S.-based court battle between Motorola and Apple may have been dismissed, but Apple's problems are far from over. As far as the ITC is concerned, the company is still facing a possible product import ban.

A new report is out this afternoon, claiming that the International Trade Commission is reviewing a previous ruling that says Apple is in violation of one of Motorola's patents. And the outcome, could be devastating...

Apple’s anti-Big Brother patent could help with de-Googlification of iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2012

It's virtually impossible to find a business that doesn't mine data on its users, be it your local grocery store or an online-only outlet which carries digital warez. And it doesn't matter whether you're a prospective buyer browsing a collection of books on Amazon or a repeat customer using your credit card to purchase intangibles.

One way or another, you're getting profiled. It's happening all the time and all around us, insofar as we don't even pay notice though we should. Even searching the web leaves valuable data in server logs that can and is being traced to your anonymized profile. What you're getting in return is a more personalized experience and certain businesses like social networks (Facebook, Google+ and so forth) literally depend on this idea.

Apple begs to differ. Suggesting the practice is getting out of hand, the company scored a huge patent win for techniques that could make data profiling more difficult and the iOS ecosystem a place devoid of aggressive advertising...

Apple extends deal with Liquidmetal for another two years

Cody Lee ∙ June 19, 2012

Back in 2010, Apple acquired the rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' amorphous metal alloys. The deal essentially gave the Cupertino company exclusive rights to the material, along with the corresponding patents, through 2012.

Yesterday, it was discovered that Apple has recently elected to extend that agreement another 2 years. According to a new SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) filing, the Mac-makers now own the rights through 2014...