According to a Harvard Business School professor, cloud startups can thank a copyright law decision for increased funding in the past few years. The case’s timing certainly aligns with an uptick in cloud funding, but it’s tough to see how the two are related. Read more »
Twitter has finally laid its hands on trademark rights to the word “tweet,” but the case provides yet another lesson in why companies have t… Read more at paidContent »
Samsung on Wednesday became the latest and most high-profile Android licensee to agree to pay royalties to Redmond. But the deal may not be so much “extortion” — as Google quickly labeled it — as Samsung’s lack of trust and confidence in Google. Read more »
Patent acquisitions and litigation dominated the wireless industry in 2011, and it looks like we should expect more of the same going forward. If anything, experts seem to think it’s only going to get worse for anyone wanting to be taken seriously as a mobile player. Read more »
New details about Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola have surfaced showing that Google was eager to buy Motorola. But why? One observer believes it was because Motorola was threatening Google with a number of dire consequences to Android if Google didn’t buy up the manufacturer. Read more »
Apple has fired back against Samsung in the UK, where the Korean company originally filed suit against the iPhone maker in June. In a new countersuit, Apple argues that Samsung’s Android tablets and smartphones infringe on its iPhone and iPad designs, not the other way around. Read more »
Google is apparently putting its new Motorola patents to work, transferring some of them to HTC, who has turned around and sued Apple for patent infringement. The move by HTC escalates the fighting between the Apple and HTC and marks a more aggressive stance by Google. Read more »
It seems Apple can’t even go a full week without being targeted with a new patent violation claim. Friday, patent-holding firm WiLAN announced that it had begun the process of litigation against Apple, as well as Dell, HP and others related to patents around wireless tech. Read more »
Apple scored another victory in its battle with Samsung in Australia, as the South Korean company agreed to a further delay of the launch of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android-powered tablet. The tablet now won’t go on sale in Australia until Sept. 29 at the earliest. Read more »
Social gaming giant Zynga is the subject of a new patent infringement lawsuit, the latest in a string of such claims. Now that Zynga is under a microscope as it moves toward an IPO, will its legal troubles be too much for potential investors to handle? Read more »
Google rocked the mobile world on Monday, August 15, with the news that it will buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, marking a 63-percent premium for the handset manufacturer. It’s a move that ushers Google into the exclusive club of companies that control both the hardware and software elements of their smartphone offerings, and it will enable Google to design handsets that are more closely integrated with Android. However, the deal doesn’t come without its risks, and it remains to be seen just how it will affect other handset makers, competition from Microsoft and the crucial patent issues currently surrounding Google. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Research In Motion and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola is about a lot of things, but one of the biggest assets in the deal is Motorola’s patent portfolio. UBS has put together a chart looking at some of the biggest patent-related deals recently and how much they’re worth. Read more »
The escalating patent battle provides a moment to reflect on how the implementation of patents have strayed from their intended use. Mark Shuttleworth, who leads the Ubuntu Foundation, had some thoughts on the matter, saying that patents are misunderstood, misused and are outdated in many ways. Read more »
Google and Microsoft traded more barbs today in their patent squabble. Google said Microsoft’s offer to jointly bid on the Novell patents was a trick. Microsoft said today Google is only interested in using patents against others. The rhetoric, however, doesn’t improve Google’s fighting position. Read more »
I recently wrote that Google had passed on an opportunity to signal a stronger defense of Android during its earnings call. Today, Google reiterated its plans to defend Android and let loose a broadside attack against competitors who are targeting the operating system with patent suits. Read more »
HTC said it’s open to negotiating with Apple to settle a pitched patent fight between the two companies, but it’s unclear how willing Apple is to talk and how much HTC can extract from negotiations. My guess: Apple’s not in a cooperative mood. Read more »
Apple put away $10.4 billion in cash during the most recent quarter, bringing its total cash and securities to $76.2 billion. Apple is extremely conservative about what it does with its money, which has become a little controversial. Here’s what people are saying. Read more »
If Android’s mounting patent issues are a concern, Google chairman Eric Schmidt isn’t letting on about it. He dismissed the growing patent issues as “legal fun” at a Google mobile event in Tokyo and called out competitors for their propensity to litigate instead of innovate. Read more »
The ITC has ruled that Android manufacturer HTC has infringed on two Apple patents, handing the iPhone maker an early victory that could have large implications on HTC’s business in the U.S. and potential impacts on the overall Android platform. HTC is appealing. Read more »
Apple may rely less on Samsung as an iOS hardware partner, as TSMC is reportedly testing new chips it’s building for future Apple mobile products. This could be due to the current lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, but even if not, it simply makes sense. Read more »
Google CEO Larry Page addressed a question about what Google’s plans regarding Android’s patent situation, but generally side-stepped the query, pointing to Android’s momentum before finishing with a modest commitment to the platform. It seems like a missed opportunity to signal support to manufacturers and developers. Read more »
Apple is ratcheting up its patent war against HTC, filing a new complaint with the ITC seeking the ban of “personal electronic devices.” The filing comes after an initial complaint lodged against HTC last year and a similar case filed last week by Apple against Samsung. Read more »
Google said Android is a $1 billion business. Microsoft, with its barrage of patent licensing agreements with Android manufacturers, could be on its way to making $1 billion off Android if its licensing deals pan out. That could make Android way more lucrative than WP7. Read more »
The back-and-forth in the patent dispute between Samsung and Apple continues, with Samsung filing a request for a U.S. import ban against the iPhone, iPad and iPod. The complaint was filed with the ITC on Tuesday and will almost certainly provoke a response in kind. Read more »
Lodsys wants more time to address the request by Apple to intervene in its court proceedings against seven small app developers, in the ongoing saga of in-app purchasing patents. Also, Samsung doesn’t get early access to Apple gear, a judge has ruled. Read more »
Apple has amended its existing complaint against Samsung over intellectual property rights violations, removing a few infringement claims, but adding many more. The Mac-maker also clarified language in an attempt to deflect Samsung’s recent request to see unreleased iPhone and iPad hardware related to the case. Read more »
With patent lawsuits flying around the mobile business like never before, it’s easy to get lost in exciting headlines about billion dollar settlements. But the reality is that the industry is playing a game of mutually assured destruction that could strangle the world’s most exciting technologies. Read more »
The best course of action for iOS developers faced with patent infringement suit threats issued by patent holding firm Lodsys earlier this month might be to play nice with licensing requests, according to one intellectual property researcher. It might be the only affordable course of action. Read more »
Spanish shopkeeper Alejandro Fernandez is on trial amid accusations that he is aiding piracy by selling jailbreak cartridges for Nintendo devices. But he’s trying to fight back by leading a legal action against the Japanese games giant that accuses it of breaking European law. Read more »
In a surprise attack against a fellow Chinese telecom, Huawei filed patent suits against ZTE in Germany, France and Hungary. The move isn’t just an attack on a rival, but a signal to the rest of the telecom world that Huawei plans to be a player. Read more »
Once upon a time, companies refused to let employees take their work home and forbade the use of digital media transfer devices. All to preserve the company’s intellectual property, which, the prevailing thought was, would be put seriously at risk by going digital. That’s changing fast. Read more »
Europe has halted shipments of PlayStation 3 game consoles as Sony battles with rival LG over intellectual property associated with Blu-Ray. It’s the latest salvo in a growing patent war that’s spreading across the technology industry — and the only real losers are customers. Read more »
Updated. Google’s translation services have been called all sorts of things over the years, from “incredible“ to “woeful“ and — by one particularly disgruntled user — “a total disgrace.” But here’s one to add to that pile: “unique.” At least, the U.S. Patent Office thinks so — enough to […] Read more »
Hybrid technology is really getting its day in court. A former General Motors worker and her husband have been accused of stealing (and trying to sell to a Chinese competitor) $40 million in trade secrets related to hybrid vehicles. Read more »
Paice LLC founder Alex Severinsky has for years waged legal battles against Toyota and Ford claiming they’ve used his patented hybrid technology in their models. In the last few days settlements have emerged in both cases. Read more »
Google’s upstart smartphone OS has taken the industry by storm. Sure, Android isn’t the biggest phone platform, but with 60,000 handsets shipping daily, it’s become a force to be reckoned with. Want proof? A sure sign of success for a product is the point when competitors ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Skyline Solar, a 3-year-old startup working on concentrating photovoltaic systems, claims today to be among the first companies to receive a patent under a pilot program for giving greentech patent applications an express lane. More than 900 applications have flooded the program. Read more »
Starting with Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT, Facebook will launch f8 Live, which will stream all sessions from the conference live on the Interwebz, along with a number of interactive features that are designed to let those who can’t attend feel like they are a part of the action. Read more »
While Tuesdays are known for Apple product launches, today the company announced not a new Mac but a lawsuit over patent infringement related to the iPhone. The target was mobile phone maker HTC, and none other than Steve Jobs was making the accusations. “We can sit […] Read more »
We’ve all been in the situation. Your mother calls you with a computer problem and you know it’s going to take at least an hour to walk her through the steps over the phone. Then she yells at you when you sigh out of frustration. If […] Read more »
