Samsung to booby-trap iPhone 5 launch with LTE patent strike

Samsung is aiming to hijack Apple’s new iPhone 5 launch by miring its rival in LTE patent litigation, sources at the company have apparently confirmed, echoing Apple’s attempts to injunction new Samsung phones. “Samsung Electronics has decided to take immediate legal action against the Cupertino-based Apple” an unnamed insider told The Korea Times. “Countries in Europe and even the United States – Apple’s home-turf – are our primary targets.”

The strategy, if enacted as the sources claim, would follow a path already established by Apple at the launch of the Galaxy S III earlier in 2013. Apple attempted to secure a US sales ban - as well as injunctions in other countries, including Samsung’s own South Korea home – as soon as the Galaxy S III launched, citing patent infringement.

That sales ban failed to materialize, though sales of some of Samsung’s range were affected in other countries as Apple’s legal team sniped down tablets and phones alike. This time around, it’s apparently Samsung’s turn to wield the patent portfolio.

Samsung will apparently use its strengths in LTE development to show the courts that Apple has infringed on 4G technologies, arguing that the FRAND defense Apple used in previous litigation around 3G patents won’t hold up again.

“Apple claimed the existing 3G-related patents are standard essential patents (SEPs) according to our earlier commitment to the FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms” an unnamed source told the Korean paper. “But the story is totally different when you talk about LTE patents. These are new and highly-valued.”

Apple has apparently already feathered its LTE patent nest, buying or filing 434 4G patents so as to fend off any attacks from Samsung or others. That’s gotten off to a shaky start, however; attempts to have HTC LTE patents invalidated faced stronger than expected push-back from the US judiciary.

Assuming no challenges to sales are permitted, Apple is expected to sell as many as 10m iPhone 5 handsets in September 2012 alone.

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It’s Not Just Android & iOS Fanatics: Conan O’Brien Makes Fun Of Apple/Samsung Patent War In Comedy Skit

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Facebook partners with Yahoo in surprise exit from patent battle

Earlier today it was leaked that the end of the legal war between Facebook and Yahoo was at hand – this afternoon it’s been announced that Yahoo and Facebook will officially be tying the knot, so to speak, with portfolio cross-licensing, event cross-branding, and more. This update certainly takes the cake as far as businesses finding ways out of legal damages – and what better way to do it, after all, than with a good ol’ cup of tea and a dash of patent sharing?

The battle going on between these two beasts of companies has been going on since earlier this year when one sued the other with the other responding with a suit of their own. Patents were tossed, punches were thrown, and here we are now with sharp words forgotten and both Yahoo and Facebook seeming to come out just as much ahead as the other. The official statement reads as follows, in part:

“Under the agreements, which include a patent portfolio cross-license, the parties will work together to bring consumers and advertisers premium media experiences promoted and distributed across both Yahoo! and Facebook. Yahoo! and Facebook will also work together to bring Yahoo!’s large media event coverage to Facebook users by collaborating on social integrations on the Yahoo! site.”

After Ross Levinsohn, interim CEO of Yahoo and Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook share some kind words in writing, the statement goes on to explain that this deal is an extension of a partnership the two companies worked in previously. This new deal will have the two entering into “definitive agreements” as well as a new advertising partnership.

“Since the launch of the original multi-year partnership between Yahoo! and Facebook that allows users to discover and connect news and information on Yahoo! sites and share them with their Facebook friends, Yahoo! has integrated the feature called “Social Bar” on more than 100 of its properties globally, and more than 90 million users have implemented it. As a result, Yahoo! has the largest active user base among all news sites that have integrated with Facebook’s Open Graph platform, making Social Bar the world’s leading social news application.”

Facebook and Yahoo have decided together to work on a series of collaborative tent-pole and anchor activities that will be annual, each of them set to provide “unparalleled experiences for consumers and world-class sponsorship opportunities for advertisers.”

Advertising incoming!

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Samsung scores 3G patent win over Apple: Seeks compensation

Samsung has secured a win against Apple in The Hague, with the Dutch court ruling that older iPhones and iPads contravene a 3G patent held by the Korean company. Although Samsung’s earlier attempts to have the products – which include the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, though not the latest iPhone 4S and new iPad – blocked from sale were rejected, the company says it will now use this ruling to obtain compensation for the infringement from Apple.

“Samsung welcomes the decision of the court in The Hague, which again confirms that Apple makes free use of our technological innovations” the Korean company said in a statement on the court’s ruling. “In accordance with this statement, we will recover adequate damages that Apple and its products have caused.”

The most recent phone and tablet from Apple escaped the umbrella ruling because Apple switched to a new chipset supplier, namely Qualcomm, and the court deemed that those radios did not overstep in terms of Samsung’s patents. Qualcomm had already licensed the necessary patent from Samsung, and it was decided that such licensing covered Apple as a Qualcomm customer.

Exactly what sort of damages Samsung is considering requesting are unclear, and Apple is yet to comment on the ruling. The decision is the latest of many court appearance for the two companies, which have been firing intellectual property salvos at each other for several months now.

Meanwhile, Samsung also finds itself under EC antitrust investigation, after complaints from rivals that it has contravened rules around fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) patent licensing.

[via AllAboutPhones - thanks Danijel!]

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Apple vs. Motorola back in court as judge revives patent spat

The patent spat between Apple and Motorola Mobility is headed back to the US courthouse, with each company expected to fight its infringement corner on June 20. Justice Richard A. Posner confirmed the hearing date, despite earlier suggestions that the case would be dismissed altogether as neither Apple nor Motorola Mobility had sufficiently established a right to relief.

Although the judge left himself room to change decision, the preliminary decision had led to expectations that neither company would have the chance to argue its corner. In a single page order, however, Justice Posner warned that “the parties should be prepared to address the possibility of substitution for an injunction of an equitable decree for a reasonable royalty going forward.”

If Motorola wants to continue arguing for injunctive relief, claiming Apple infringes on its patented technologies, the company will have to be prepared for some tough questions on FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensing, Posner wrote. Apple has accused its rival of demanding outlandish sums in return for using the technology.

Posner appears to be suggesting that he could enforce fairer licensing terms, rather than the injunctions on devices that Apple and Motorola Mobility have both been chasing. The FTC has recently voiced concerns that patent holders are citing FRAND standards-essential patent license disputes as a key justification for enacting sales bans on rivals’ product lines.

[via ComputerWorld]

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Samsung Patent Highlights New Stylus Pen Accessory Complete With Integrated Headset

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Apple vs. Motorola back in court as judge revives patent spat

The patent spat between Apple and Motorola Mobility is headed back to the US courthouse, with each company expected to fight its infringement corner on June 20. Justice Richard A. Posner confirmed the hearing date, despite earlier suggestions that the case would be dismissed altogether as neither Apple nor Motorola Mobility had sufficiently established a right to relief.

Although the judge left himself room to change decision, the preliminary decision had led to expectations that neither company would have the chance to argue its corner. In a single page order, however, Justice Posner warned that “the parties should be prepared to address the possibility of substitution for an injunction of an equitable decree for a reasonable royalty going forward.”

If Motorola wants to continue arguing for injunctive relief, claiming Apple infringes on its patented technologies, the company will have to be prepared for some tough questions on FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensing, Posner wrote. Apple has accused its rival of demanding outlandish sums in return for using the technology.

Posner appears to be suggesting that he could enforce fairer licensing terms, rather than the injunctions on devices that Apple and Motorola Mobility have both been chasing. The FTC has recently voiced concerns that patent holders are citing FRAND standards-essential patent license disputes as a key justification for enacting sales bans on rivals’ product lines.

[via ComputerWorld]

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Apple settles patent dispute out of court with SimpleAir

Apple has officially settled a patent dispute that has been running since 2009, between it and a company called SimpleAir. SimpleAir filed the patent suit back in 2009 in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Texas. This particular court has turned into “the” place to file patent disputes because the judge in the court is known for siding with patent holders against big companies. Rather than go to court, Apple has settled out-of-court.

Exactly, how much money Apple forked over to SimpleAir is unknown because the terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed. Apple must’ve had some indication that it wasn’t going to win the case to consider settling out of court. The patents at the core the suit were U.S. Patent No, 6,021,433: “System and Method for Transmission of Data”; U.S. Patent No. 7,035,914: “System and Method for Transmission of Data”; U.S. Patent No. 6,735,614: “Contact Alerts for Unconnected Users”; and U.S. Patent No. 6,167,426: “Contact Alerts for Unconnected Users.”

SimpleAir has earned the maligned title of patent troll in the tech community because the company has no actual products. The company simply owns patents and licenses them to other firms. Apparently, Apple isn’t the only tech company SimpleAir has filed suit against either, so we will likely hear more from the company.

Apple SimpleAir joint motion after settlement

[via AppleInsider]

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HTC may be forced to exit German market in the wake of IPCom patent case

Further supporting the Android Community amateur legal opinion that German courts are full of dunkoffs, IPCom’s patent injunction against HTC has been held up in that country. The initial ruling was made two years ago, with HTC almost immediately appealing. Now the original ruling has been upheld, and HTC will be forced to either capitulate to IPCom’s demands (read: pony up the cash) or halt sales in Germany.

The patent in question has to do with low-level 3G technologies that many consider absolutely essential. The ruling sets up a dangerous precedent – essentially any phone maker or carrier operating in Germany may have to bow before IPCom, a firm made up exclusively of patent holdings – think of it as a corporate patent troll. The company is already suing European arms of Vodafone and T-Mobile for the same technology, and in Germany at least, this precedent means they’re likely to win. You can dive into the legalese over at FOSS Patents.

After the ruling has been upheld, there’s very little that HTC can do except pay up or ship out. Followers of all things Android will no doubt recall that Apple won a major legal battle against Samsung in Germany, forcing them to pull and eventually redesign the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The message is clear: if you’ve got an intellectual property axe to grind, make tracks for Deutschland and start look for a target.

[via Engadget]

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Apple v. Samsung Hinges on Patent Validity

On the same day an Australian court enforced a preliminary ban of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1,  Samsung and Apple met before US District Judge Lucy Koh to battle over a similar lawsuit. While a large part of the case is focused on accusations of Samsung blatantly copying Apple’s product designs, Judge Koh has expressed concern with the validity of the patents the Galaxy Tab is said to infringe upon.
We know from court documents that Samsung intended to raise questions about the legality of Apple’s patents by introducing as evidence a series of references to tablet-like computers in media and popular culture dating all the way back to the 1960s sci-fi class 2001: A Space Odyssey. They point to a clip in which two astronauts use tablets which resemble the Apple iPad:

Samsung hopes to establish the idea that the design that Apple has patented is not a new concept, and is rather a generic concept that existed long before the iPad hit shelves.
A report from Reuters indicates that Judge Koh is at least considering the argument, though she does not deny the similarities between Samsung and Apple’s competing products. During the hearing, Koh held both the iPad and Galaxy Tab 10.1 above her head and asked Samsung attorney Kathleen Sullivan to identify which was tablet was made by the company she represented. Sullivan was unable to distinguish between the two from a distance. Turning to the rest of Samsung’s legal team, one lawyer was able to correctly identify the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
At this point no final decision has been made, but Koh already stated that she would not rule in favor of a ban on at least one “utility” patent. Her final decision will be based around three design patents.

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Apple files patent to use accelerometer and gyroscope for video stabilization

Apple has filed a patent to use the accelerometer and gyroscope in conjunction with the video camera of your device to improve image stabilization. The three core features could work together to hugely improve the look of your videos.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for video processes that selectively control the operation of motion stabilization processes. According to the present invention, motion sensor data indicative of motion of a mobile device may be received and processed.

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