18
May
top_header

Microsoft Wins Order To Ban Import Of (Some) Undisclosed Motorola Android Smartphones Into US

Posted by in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

According to an exclusion order issued by the ITC, some of Motorola Mobility's smartphone devices are in violation of four claims in a Microsoft patent related to scheduling meetings in a calendar. The specifics really aren't important - basically, the ITC found that Motorola infringed a Microsoft patent related to mobile software for creating and sending meeting invitations.

Motorola and Google had argued that an exclusionary order banning the import of offending Motorola devices wasn't in the public interest, but the judge didn't buy it. More importantly, it's unclear exactly which Motorola devices fall under the scope of the exclusionary order, which should go into effect roughly 60 days from now.

16
May
sprint-logo

Sprint Officially Confirms That The EVO 4G LTE Launch Is Delayed Due To US Customs, Provides Pre-Order Cancellation Options

Posted by in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, Legal, News, Sprint

We reported last night that, due to an ITC order on an Apple patent infringement claim, at least some of HTC's One X and EVO 4G LTE smartphones had been halted at shipping ports by US Customs.

The implications of this for the EVO 4G LTE just got worse, as Sprint has been forced to concede that the planned May 18th launch will have to be delayed until the customs investigation is completed. Here's Sprint's full statement:

  • HTC EVO 4G LTE availability

The U.S. availability of the HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed.  HTC is working to resolve this issue and appreciates your patience as they work to get products into Sprint channels.

15
May
us_customs_and_border_protection

United States Customs Halts HTC One X And EVO 4G LTE Shipments At Ports Pending "Investigation" Of Apple Patent Claims

Posted by in AT&T, EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, Legal, News, One X (Endeavor), Sprint

US Customs has halted at least some shipments of the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE (presumably at the Port of Los Angeles), as a result of an earlier ITC order won by Apple over a patent lawsuit for "data tapping" (context-sensitive text-based actions) in the browser and messaging apps on some HTC phones.

These features, HTC contends, have been removed from the One X and EVO 4G LTE, and HTC is "confident" that it is in compliance with the ruling:

The US availability of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed due to a standard U.S.

21
Mar
evil apple

Judge Decides Apple Doesn't Really Need All The Android Development Details, Tells Apple To Make Request Less Vague And Broad

Posted by in Motorola, News

Two weeks ago, the judge in Apple's case against Motorola ordered Google and Moto to hand over details on Android development. Naturally, Motorola appealed, and managed to change Judge Posner's mind. While the company isn't getting away scot-free (or at least, not yet), he did say that "[Apple's] motion is vague and overbroad and Motorola's objections are persuasive." In other words, Apple needs to tone down their request and make sure things are relevant and specific (or in my words, "Apple needs to stop requesting all the shit they can think of").

Presumably from here Apple will try to narrow things down as little as possible to get the request to hold, at which point Motorola will appeal it and both sides will hope for the best (before doing it all over).

20
Mar
3185410319_419a368b35

Google Trademarks New Software Called 'Showy', Turns A Device Into A Remote Control

Posted by in Google, News

It's hard to say what exactly Google has up its sleeve here, but it recently filed a trademark application for some new software called Showy that "allows users to use their computer, tablet device, or mobile phone as a remote control to operate video display devices and televisions; and downloadable software which allows users to remotely control the content on internet-connected digital signage."

google-showy-575x395

It's highly probable that this new software will correlate with GoogleTV, as El Goog has reportedly been working on a new remote that incorporates voice controls and cloud services, allowing Android users to control their TV by speaking to it.

22
Feb
Sprint

Comcast Sues Sprint For Patent Infringement On SMS/MMS, Mobile Broadband, And Network Technologies

Posted by in Legal, News, Sprint

It seems Sprint just can't catch a break lately. After the LightSquared LTE fiasco (it seems eminently likely Sprint will be forking over $65 million and have to cancel the deal), this just seems a bit like kicking the company when it's already down. Comcast has filed suit in Pennsylvania against the nation's number-three carrier, and it's for patent infringement.

Namely, Comcast alleges that Sprint is violating patents it owns covering technologies like SMS/MMS, mobile broadband cards and hotspots, as well as certain traffic routing technologies (IP/MPLS). Here are some excerpts from the complaint regarding the patents:

  • No. 7,684,391: Communications System for Delivering Multimedia Internet Protocol Packets Across Network Boundaries.

17
Feb
ios-5-videos-500x286

In-Depth Analysis: Android's Notification Bar Patent (And How Apple May Or May Not Infringe It)

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials, Legal, News

There has been a lot of interest of late in a patent filed (by Google) back in 2009 for what is obviously a rendition of Android's notification bar system. There are a number of pretty (well, as pretty as black and white gets) figures in the patent showing the notification bar we all know and love, and lots of language about notification systems and the like.

As many of the Android-faithful know, Apple recently implemented as part of iOS 5 the "Notification Center," and it looks an awful lot like Android's in some respects. This immediately drew criticism from the Android community, with many claiming that Apple had essentially "ripped off" Google's implementation, and has been a sore subject ever since.

16
Feb
ohnoes

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.

applepatentlock1

REVOLUTIONARY

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.

16
Feb
sam_vs_apple

Apple Still Trying To Sue The World Into Oblivion With A Fresh Suit Against 17 Samsung Devices Infringing Upon 8 Apple Patents; In Other News, Sky Blue, Water Wet

Posted by in News, Samsung

Last week, we found out that Apple was bringing a fresh suit against Samsung - specifically, seeking a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Nexus over four patents. Now the official complaint document has been posted by the court, and it turns out the suit is aimed at a lot more than just the beloved GNex, and involves more than the four patents initially mentioned. In fact, Apple explicitly names seventeen Samsung devices and cites eight of its patents.

The patents in question:

2012-02-16 08h42_36

Or, for those of you that prefer things in text (also, so that you can copy and paste them elsewhere for the purpose of mockery):

  • System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data
  • Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system
  • Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image
  • Method, system, and graphical user interface for providing word recommendations
  • Missed telephone call management for a portable multifunction device
  • Graphical user interface using historical lists with field classes
  • Asynchronous data synchronization amongst devices
  • Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system

The 17(+) devices in question:

2012-02-16 08h52_52

  • Phones
    • US SGSII series: Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II - T-Mobile, Galaxy S II - AT&T
    • Galaxy Nexus
    • Illusion
    • Captivate Glide
    • Exhibit II 4G
    • Stratosphere
    • Transform Ultra
    • Admire
    • Conquer 4G
    • Dart
  • Media Players/Tablets
    • Galaxy Player 4.0 and 5.0
    • Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and Galaxy Tab 8.9

sam_vs_apple

I CAN SEE THE INFRINGEMENT FROM HERE.

11
Feb
apple-rotten1

Apple Seeks Preliminary Injunction Against Galaxy Nexus In U.S. Based On The "Four Horsemen" Of Patents

Posted by in Galaxy Nexus, Legal, News

Apple is at it again, bringing a motion for preliminary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus in the United States Thursday. The motion is based on a handful of powerful patents, which FOSS Patents has labeled "the patent equivalent of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Here's FOSS' breakdown:

 

  1. the "data tapping" patent based on which the ITC ordered an import ban against HTC

  2. a patent related to Siri and unified search, which must be of huge concern to Google with a view to its core business

  3. a new slide-to-unlock patent that even had the head of the Taiwanese government profoundly worried

  4. a word completion patent that provides major speed improvements for touchscreen text entry

Three of the above patents were apparently granted only recently (after September 2011), while the "data tapping" patent may sound familiar to those who followed Apple's case to the ITC against HTC.

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