Rackspace is taking one for the team by trying to invalidate a patent that an alleged patent troll claims covers the ability for mobile displays to rotate as the device turns. Read more »
Almost every tech company claims to hate patent trolls, but they certainly don’t always back up their words with actions. Recent patent activity around the Hadoop big data platform might show how companies can effectively battle trolls — if they really want to. Read more »
A study of 500 patent lawsuits found that those brought by patent trolls, which the study’s authors call “monetizers,” account for nearly 40 percent of the cases brought in 2011. Of course, their study doesn’t account for the untold thousands that never make it to court. Read more »
John McCain and Ron Wyden are among the dozens of congresspeople people from Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico lobbying the ITC against harming the economy by banning the import of computers containing some of Intel’s most-popular processors. But saving the IT economy goes beyond patents. Read more »
In yet another move to simplify the process of patent search, Google is now tackling the particularly tough problem of prior with a new feature. But all this innovation begs the question of whether Google, not the USPTO, should become the de facto patent search engine. Read more »
The CEO of Intellectual Ventures says his company’s philanthropy means he is doing more good for the world than GigaOM. The claim fails to account for the harm to innovation he is causing through ruinous patent suits. Read more »
Having learned a lesson from the backlash its peers in Congress endured recently, the White House is trying, presumably, to develop an anti-piracy strategy that’s actually sane. On Monday, it announced an open call for comments on a new IP strategy. Read more »
Legal scholars are always searching for ways to improve the patent system, sometimes via sweeping changes, but big data — especially techniques such as machine learning and natural-language processing — could help provide a technological fix to a big part of the problem. Read more »
Silicon Valley startups may be trying to free the entertainment industry from Hollywood’s death grip. But anyone who wants to kill Hollywood deserves a history lesson in its tenacious will to survive. Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza and Scripted.com CEO Sunil Rajaraman explain why. Read more »
Apple won a small victory in Germany on Tuesday as the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court upheld its injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. In the meantime, the European Union is putting Samsung’s recent patent claims under a regulatory microscope with a full-scale investigation. Read more »
Samsung suffered another reversal in its patent battle with Apple on Friday morning, as the Mannheim Regional Court in Germany dismissed the Korean company’s second patent complaint related to 3G/UMTS technology. Last week, the same court rejected another similar Samsung complaint about 3G tech. Read more »
Apple is looking to sharpen the teeth on a recent import ban it secured from the ITC against HTC smartphones, according to an appeal filing discovered Wednesday. The appeal seems to at least seek to broaden the scope of the ITC’s ruling. Read more »
On the scale of surprises, the news that British Telecom has become the latest technology company to sue Google is not at the high end. The number of Android lawsuits is so large that real question won’t be about who’s suing Google — but who isn’t. Read more »
Apple will be able to continue selling the iPhone 4S in France unimpeded, according to a court decision on Thursday. The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris has denied a request by Samsung to secure a preliminary injunction against the sale of the 4S. Read more »
The injunction previously won by Apple in Australia against the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has been overturned Tuesday as the result of a Federal Court appeal. The temporary injunction was unanimously ruled against by the court’s panel of judges, and will end Friday. Read more »
Apple and Samsung’s patent gripes are troubling Europe’s top body governing antitrust concerns, European Commissioner Joaquín Almunia told reporters on Tuesday, according to ZDNet. Almunia says IP rights can be “used as a tool of abuse,” and worries that could be what’s happening here . Read more »
Apple has made a change to the scope of its lawsuit against Amazon regarding its “App Store” trademark says CNET, addressing claims made in recent advertisements for the online retailer’s new Kindle Fire Android-based tablet. Amazon’s marketing threatens the App Store brand, says Apple. Read more »
Samsung tried to get a look at the full versions of Apple’s carrier contracts with Australian providers in an ongoing court case in that country earlier this week. The presiding judge in the case, however, told Samsung’s lawyers Friday that Apple need not go that far. Read more »
On Friday, Motorola Mobility was granted a preliminary injunction against Apple by a German court, but despite that victory, it’s business as usual for the iPhone maker in Germany as of Monday. Apple’s retail and online stores are still selling the company’s entire range of products. Read more »
The legal battle Apple is waging against Android could become one of Steve Jobs’ most influential legacies, and a new statement from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) supporting Apple’s stance might prove a key victory for the company in that ongoing fight. Read more »
In the Netherlands, a court on Friday dismissed injunctions against Dutch sales of the iPhone and 3G iPad requested by Samsung. The requests were denied because the court found that license offered by Samsung to Apple for the patents in question could not be considered reasonable. Read more »
A hearing Thursday in California in front of U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh addressed a request from Apple to ban the sale of Samsung products, including Galaxy Tab 10.1, in the U.S. Samsung infringes on the patents, Koh said, but they may not be “valid.” Read more »
A victory for Apple in its ongoing patent infringement battle with Samsung in Australia could have far-reaching implications. It prevents Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia until further notice, and could eventually affect the sale of any new Android device in the country. Read more »
Samsung will have to cool its heels in Australia a little longer with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, as a ruling regarding a preliminary injunction requested by Apple for that device will come next week, at the earliest, after proceedings wrapped up earlier this week. Read more »
Samsung revealed Wednesday that it would try to stop the release of Apple’s new iPhone 4S in France and Italy with filings seeking injunctions on the new smartphone. Samsung’s complaints will center on two instances of alleged patent infringement related to WCDMA standards for 3G connectivity. Read more »
In a hearing in Australia to determine whether Apple can secure a preliminary injunction to stop the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet ahead of a patent infringement case between the two companies, Samsung’s attempt at a peace offering was rejected. Read more »
At a hearing Monday in Australia to determine whether or not an injunction against the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in that country is merited, a judge suggested both Samsung and Apple expedite their patent infringement trial in order to resolve the issue. Read more »
A hearing Monday saw Samsung argue that it has the right to pursue an injunction of Apple products in the Netherlands, while Apple claims that Samsung is overstepping its boundaries regarding its mobile wireless patents in an attempt to derail the launch of upcoming products. Read more »
Samsung made comments early Friday about going on the offensive with its ongoing patent dispute with Apple, and it appears to be backing that up with a new request today for a Dutch ban on the sale of Apple smartphones and tablets. Read more »
Lee Younghee, the head of global marketing for mobile communications for the Korean firm, told the Associated Press in an interview on Friday that the company is switching its strategy for dealing with the patent suits and that the new plan is to be more “aggressive.” Read more »
Samsung has officially fired back at Apple in Australia, filing a cross claim today with the Federal Court of the country. The claim says that Apple’s iPhone and iPad infringe upon seven wireless patents held by Samsung, and seeks to invalidate some of Apple’s patents. 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 »
Apple won another victory in court Thursday in its ongoing patent dispute with Samsung, when German judges upheld the existing preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Germany. The injunction will now remain in effect at least until the court rules on Sept 9. Read more »
Apple has won a preliminary injunction in a Dutch court on Wednesday which prevents the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones in the Netherlands, and could affect sales across the E.U. It’s a clear sign that Samsung’s patent headaches won’t be limited to tablet devices. Read more »
Google could hold more patents than Apple, according to intellectual property investment bank MDB group. On paper at least, it looks like it could put Google and Apple on equal legal footing. But in reality, there are a few reasons why that won’t happen. 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 »
After nearly two years of accusations over patent infringement, Nokia and Apple have signed a peace accord. But rather than end the rash of patent lawsuits across the mobile industry, the deal could send the Finnish company on the warpath. Read more »
In response to Apple’s letter claiming that the license it holds for using technology ostensibly patented by Lodsys, the patent holding firm has filed suit against a number of App Store developers Tuesday. The firm claims Apple’s license does not in fact extend to developers. Read more »
Samsung said it would answer Apple’s recent patent suit “actively,” using “appropriate legal measures” and it has made good on that promise. The South Korean electronics manufacturer filed suit in multiple cities. The complaints allege that Apple infringed on mobile communications tech patents held by Samsung. Read more »
A ruling today on whether or not Apple and RIM violated a patent held by Kodak could add more than $1 billion in revenue to the camera company’s bottom line. It’s a decision that could have a significant impact on the company’s future. Read more »
