Apple's FRAND lawsuit against Motorola dismissed in US

The federal judge Barbara Crabb, of the Western District of Wisconsin, has dismissed with prejudice the Apple’s FRAND lawsuit against Motorola. This means Apple cannot fill a similar lawsuit in another US court, unless it successfully appeals against the decision first.

Last year Motorola Mobility sought to receive 2.25% of all iOS products net sales as a licensing fee for some of the Motorola-owned patents they use. Apple refused to pay this amount and counter-sued Motorola for unfair licensing taxes.

A more recent turn of event saw Motorola ask Apple to agree to whatever fee the court declares fair, but once again Apple wasn't quite happy with the offer and said it will only adhere to the court fee if it isn't higher than $1 per iPhone.

So, now that Apple has just lost against Motorola it will either have to win in the appeal (which will almost certainly follow) or it will have to pay what the court orders. We are yet to see how this one develops, but Motorola seems to have won an important battle here.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apples_patent_lawsuit_against_motorola_dismissed_with_prejudice-news-5046.php

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Microsoft brings Motorola, Google to German court over Maps

Microsoft drags Motorola back into German courts today

Microsoft is readying itself for the next round of court battles, as it fires off another patent lawsuit aimed at Motorola and its owner, Google.

This marks a return to German courts today, where Microsoft now claims Motorola infringed on patents involving Google Maps overlaying multiple map data.

The case could not only affect Motorola's phones in Germany, but how its people use Google Maps as well.

The lawsuit claims the Razr maker violated a patent for taking one set of map data and overlaying it with another set of map information. For example, overlaying data of street geography with information about what businesses are on that street.

Tough case for Motorola?

All digital maps overlay multiple sets of data now-a-days, so Google and Motorola will have a hard time circumventing the patent if they lose.

However, the beginning rounds of this court case did produce a bit of surprise. At today's hearing, Microsoft announced it will add Google to the list of defendants in the case. This is the first time Google is directly involved in the Microsoft/Motorola matter.

Microsoft usually fights its patent battles with proxy companies like Motorola. So the case presents a unique opportunity to watch the two tech giants duke it out in the same patent lawsuit.

Wheels, deals and court battles

Motorola is one of the few Android makers who doesn't pay a licensing fee to Microsoft for the mobile OS, unlike HTC and Samsung. Meanwhile, Microsoft takes a cut on half of all Android phones sold.

This is just the latest round of court skirmishes between the two companies. Microsoft has won three cases resulting in German sales bans of Motorola smartphones including the Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx and the Motorola Atrix.

What's more, the German court ruled Motorola infringed on patents involving a FAT file system, a SMS patent and one that described a method of handling communication between the keyboard and applications.

But, Motorola was cleared last week in a case involving a radio interface patent.

We'll see how this case affects the Motorola vs Microsoft scoreboard as the Germans mull over multiple map issues.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/microsoft-brings-motorola-google-to-german-court-over-maps-1103832

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Nokia reportedly considering lawsuit over HTC 8X design

Another lawsuit between carriers could be brewing

Nokia may be ready to set its legal dogs on HTC over the design of the new company's newly announced Windows Phone 8X smartphone.

According to a Phone Arena source, the feeling emanating from Espoo, Finland is that the Taiwanese manufacturer has copied the look and feel of the recently-announced Nokia Lumia 820 handset.

Nokia "feels strongly" that the front panel and the curved sides of the Lumia 820 have been unfairly emulated by the HTC offering - unveiled just two weeks after Nokia's Sept. 5 reveal - according to the tipster.

The report suggests that Nokia will seek a sales ban on the HTC 8X in some territories.

Seeing double?

The Lumia 820, the smaller sibling of the flagship Lumia 920, offers a 4.3-inch Clear Black LCD screen and a polycarbonate body, which comes in an array of bright colours.

The HTC 8X is the HTC's top-of-the-line Windows Phone 8 offering and also features a 4.3-inch screen, a top-notch spec list and an equally bright array of colours.

Chris Weber, Nokia's head of marketing, also publicly called out HTC's new phones - which includes the lower-spectrum Windows Phone 8S - as "rebranded products," though he didn't say either design copied his company's products at the time.

It's the physical similarities listed above as well as HTC's status as the main threat to Nokia's Windows Phone-led comeback, that is likely to have irked Nokia, if the reports are to be believed.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-reportedly-considering-lawsuit-over-htc-8x-design-1099697

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Apple cuts back chip orders from Samsung, the war rages on

You are all aware of the recent major US patent lawsuit involving Apple and Samsung. So far their patent quarrels had not have any impact on their component supply deal, which has Samsung provide most of the memory chips that Apple uses in its mobile device.

According to Reuters and several other news outlets, all citing anonymous sources, with the iPhone 5, Apple is now steering away from Samsung as its main chip supplier. Instead, the company is looking to strengthen its supplies from competing chip manufacturers such as Toshiba, Elpida and Hynix.

Photo by Reuters

So what are we witnessing here? Is it that Apple is getting ready for a long war, or it's just that it doesn't like to do any further business with Samsung?

It could also be that Samsung is using its chip manufacturing deal as a leverage in their patent brawls across the world or just on the contrary, it's Apple that's using the cutting back of the orders as a leverage. Apple is supposedly Samsung’s largest components client with estimates pointing that their deal is supposedly bringing billions in yearly revenue. Well, we may never learn the truth.

Source | Via
Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_cutting_back_chips_orders_from_samsung_aims_independence-news-4775.php

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