06
Jun
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[Update: Samsung Responds] Apple Amends Lawsuit Against Samsung To Include Galaxy S III, Requests Preliminary Injunction

Posted by in Galaxy S III, Legal, News, Samsung

Update: It should come as no surprise, but Samsung has responded to Apple's attack on the Galaxy S III, saying it will "demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S III is innovative and distinctive."

Apple and Samsung's ongoing litigation in California federal court has become something of a three-ring circus. Back in December, the presiding judge denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against a wide variety of Samsung products. Apple has since filed for more such injunctions on newer products, and the newest is the Galaxy S III.

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Apple claims the devices infringes the same "data tapping" patent it has accused HTC (again today) and Motorola of infringing - which it is now extending to the core Android long-press action dialogue menu for URLs (eg, links in Gmail, browser, etc).

06
Jun
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Apple Renews ITC Complaint Against HTC For Data Tapping, Now Says Android Itself Infringes With Long-Press URL Dialogues

Posted by in Android OS, HTC, Legal, News

Apple has filed a new complaint with the ITC against HTC over the same data-tapping patent that caused a substantial disruption of HTC's supply line into the United States, and resulted in delayed or stifled launches for a number of phones.

After removing the multi-option dialogue that appeared upon pressing a phone number in an email or webpage from its devices, HTC proclaimed it was clear of Apple's patent on data-tapping techniques. Apple seems to think they're wrong - and is now claiming that a core Android functionality (long-press URL action prompting a multi-selection dialogue) is infringing on the patent.

21
May
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[Update: HTC Responds] HTC: "Some" Smartphones Have Cleared US Customs Review And Are On Their Way To Carriers

Posted by in HTC, Legal, News

Update: We've received an official statement from an HTC spokesperson on the situation with US Customs, and it basically confirms what was said to the Taiwanese stock exchange. Here it is:

“Each imported HTC model must be reviewed by Customs and will be released once Customs officials have completed the inspection.  Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carrier customers.  We don't have the status of each specific device model at this time, but we are working closely with Customs. We remain confident that this issue will be resolved soon.”

HTC Spokesperson

There you have it - things are happening, but HTC is unable to confirm exactly what models are now getting through.

16
Feb
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Apple Receives Injunction Against Motorola In Germany For Slide Unlock - Will Have To Use Circle Unlock Now, Might Have Mattered Two Years Ago

Posted by in Legal, Motorola, News

Apple is causing more mischief over in Germany today, having received an injunction from a Munich Regional Court against phone manufacturer Motorola for utilizing slide-to-unlock style lockscreen methods patented by Apple. Motorola intends to appeal the ruling. The basic point to take away is this: the court ruled that Apple's patent on the concept of moving a tracked image from left to right in order to unlock a phone is valid, and it seems likely that every slide-to-unlock implementation on Android would be infringing in their eyes.

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The appeal will likely take months, and after a Hague court in the Netherlands ruled that Apple's slide-to-unlock patents were invalid for obviousness and existence of prior art, it seems that there are still some very relevant substantive issues in need of higher review here.

19
Dec
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ITC Rules For Apple, Bans Import Of "Some" HTC Phones Into US: Why You Shouldn't Care

Posted by in HTC, Legal, News

The blogosphere is currently aflutter with talk of the ITC (International Trade Commission) patent infringement decision in favor of Apple, and the resulting court order banning the import of infringing HTC devices starting April 19, 2012 (4 months from now). The ITC ruled that HTC infringed on two, relatively narrow claims in a patent related to "data tapping" that occurs at the system level in Android.

You know how your phone can automatically "see" an address or phone number on a web page or e-mail and send you to the appropriate app? That's what the ITC claims HTC, and by relation Android, is infringing on.

09
Dec
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Apple's Plan To Sue The Pants Off Everyone Backfires: European Judge Issues Injunction, Rules That 3G-Enabled Apple Products Infringe On Motorola Patent

Posted by in Motorola, News

In case you're unaware, Apple is in the process of suing just about everyone it competes with in the tablet/phone field. There's an abundance of irony in the entire situation - the most substantial of which I covered when Apple complained that Samsung and Motorola were anticompetitive because of their patents  - but things just (at least, temporarily) took a turn for the awesome. A judge in Germany has ruled that 3G-enabled Apple products (including the iPhone, iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, iPad 3G, and iPad 2 3G, but not specifically the iPhone 4S) infringe on a Motorola patent. Consequently, the judge has issued a preliminary injunction against Apple, resulting in a Europen sales ban on the aforementioned iPhones and iPads.

29
Nov
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HTC Might Ignore IPCom And Keep Selling Smartphones In Germany, Despite Injunction

Posted by in HTC, Legal, News

If you haven't heard, Germany has pretty much become the hotspot for smartphone and tablet patent litigation. Most recently, HTC has been hitting headlines in its ongoing battle against IPCom, an intellectual property firm. IPCom claims that HTC's smartphones violate a number of its patents in the realm of 3G GSM technology. HTC says that the last time it made a phone which might have violated those patents was in 2009, and that it has since developed a workaround which does not infringe on IPCom's patents.

A court in Karlsruhe issued an injunction against HTC because of these patents last week.

18
Nov
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Motorola Says Apple's iCloud Infringes On Patent In Germany, Presiding Judge Seems To Agree

Posted by in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

A court in Mannheim, Germany today held a preliminary hearing in a patent dispute between Motorola Mobility and Apple Sales International (a European Apple distribution subsidiary), and it seems like Apple's on the ropes.

While the hearing didn't discuss the particular merits of Motorola's patent infringement claim against Apple, the presiding judge issued substantial blows to Apple's defense by indicating that he believed the patent-in-suit was ripe for trial. The judge also seemed to agree with Motorola's reading of that patent (also known as "construction claims") in important ways that would allow it a broader scope of applicability at trial.

The judge did not seem interested in many of Apple's defenses, such as Motorola's claim lacking specificity, the patent in question being invalid, or that the patent should be construed more narrowly.

16
Nov
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Did Samsung Launch A New (German) Galaxy Tab 10.1 To Avoid Infringement Of Apple's iPad Design? Sure Looks Like It

Posted by in Galaxy Tab 10.1, Legal, News, Samsung

Now, this all based on one German online retailer (where imports of the Tab 10.1 were banned), but it's very interesting nonetheless. It appears that a new version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been launched in Germany, called the Tab 10.1N. The difference? So far, all we see is a re-designed bezel and the fact that it's now shipping with Android 3.2. Take a look at this comparison shot from Mobiflip:

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The Tab 10.1N is above, and the old Tab 10.1 is below. And below that is an iPad 2. If you look at the bezel design, the Tab 10.1 originale has a bezel more similar to the iPad 2 - a very minimal metal frame along the edges.

10
Sep
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German Retailers Still Allowed To Sell And Restock The Galaxy Tab 10.1, Despite Injunction

Posted by in Galaxy Tab 10.1, News, Samsung

Despite the fact that German courts recently decided not to lift the ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, OSnews is reporting today that German retailers will technically still be allowed not only to sell remaining stock of the Tab, but to reorder from Samsung as well.

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The catch here is that German retailers cannot restock by ordering from Samsung's German branch, but must instead order from other branches, Sammy's Korean branch, for example, can provide more stock to retailers in Germany. OSnews goes on to say that Media Markt, a popular electronics retailer in Germany and The Netherlands is not sure yet how the ban will affect business, but could easily route Tabs through the Netherlands to avoid violating the ban.

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