Apple’s patent abuse lawsuit against Motorola has been dismissed

A case in which Apple accused Motorola of an abuse of the patent system, where it was charging Apple more for key patents than it was to other companies, has been dismissed. Apple has the chance to appeal, but Motorola wants to come to an agreement.

A lawsuit brought against Motorola by Apple has been dismissed by a court in Wisconsin, even before the trial had the chance to get underway. Instead, it took a week of pre-trial motions and a two-hour hearing on Monday morning, for Judge Barbara Crabb to cancel proceedings with prejudice. This gives Apple the chance to appeal, but only in the same court.

Apple was claiming that Motorola was abusing the patent system (oh, the irony) by asking unreasonably high license fees, and more than it charged other companies, for some key Wi-Fi and cellular patents used in the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Motorola’s fee is 2.25-percent of the price of each Apple device sold that uses the technology. Apple, however, only wanted to pay a fraction of that amount, stating $1 per future device was its magic number.

Following the dismissal, Motorola issued a statement saying “We’re pleased that the court has dismissed Apple’s lawsuit with prejudice. Motorola has long offered licensing to our extensive patent portfolio at a reasonable and non-discriminatory rate in line with industry standards.” It also adds that it’s “interested in reaching an agreement with Apple.”

Google-owned Motorola needs to be careful though, as it’s parent company is in-line for an antitrust lawsuit, should be it discovered withholding patents to stifle competition. Apple, on the other hand, is back to square one, with an appeal likely on the way.

This is the second Apple vs. Motorola lawsuit to be thrown out this year. Last time out, Apple accused Motorola of copying the design of the iPhone for its Android handsets, however Judge Richard Posner dismissed it in June after deciding neither company adequately made its case. At the time, Motorola tried to get this dispute with Apple enjoined, but the Judge refused.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-loses-patent-abuse-lawsuit-against-motorola/

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Apple filings for AirPlay Mirroring, Siri land in U.S. patent office

Siri's understanding of context is the subject of a new Apple patent

Even as Apple works to defend existing technology patents in court, the iPhone maker continues to shore up its arsenal with a pair of new applications protecting AirPlay Mirroring and Siri.

CNET reported on Thursday that Apple filed new patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) aimed at keeping two of the company's key iOS technologies safe from copycats.

AirPlay Mirroring is covered in the first new patent titled, "Gesture Visualization and Sharing Between Electronic Devices and Remote Displays," with a focus on how one touchscreen-enabled device - in this case, an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad - can replicate its picture and sound to a second display, such as an Apple TV.

The patent appears to cover only the implementation of AirPlay Mirroring on iOS devices, although OS X Mountain Lion now allows the feature to also be used from a Mac, but that use does not appear to be covered with this filing.

Siri in context

The second patent offers additional protection for Siri, the virtual assistant feature first introduced a year ago with the iPhone 4S and finally brought to the third-generation iPad with iOS 6.

Although the primary technology behind Siri was filed with the USPTO several weeks ago, the new application titled, "Using Context Information to Facilitate Processing of Commands In A Virtual Assistant," adds additional protection for how Siri understands what the user is trying to request.

According to Patently Apple, Siri processes context clues, which "helps to clarify the user's intent and to reduce the number of candidate interpretations of the user's input, and reduces the need for the user to provide excessive clarification input."

The additional patent offers further detail into how Siri uses available search, database, dialog history and more to put a user's request into context.

Although Apple files many patent applications that never see the light of day, the latest pair cover technology already in use with iOS devices.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-filings-for-airplay-mirroring-siri-land-in-u-s-patent-office-1105370

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Amazon CEO calls on governments to end tech patent warfare

Bezos - looks friendly now, but try talking to him about patents...

Jeff Bezos hasn't got much patience with the neverending cycle of tech patent lawsuits, reckoning that governments need to step in and change laws.

The Amazon CEO, who faces a bit more hardware heat now that Amazon has launched the Android-running Kindle Fire HD tablet, lamented the situation in an interview with the Metro newspaper.

"Patents are supposed to encourage innovation and we're starting to be in a world where they might start to stifle innovation," he said.

Stifling

"Governments may need to look at the patent system and see if those laws need to be modified because I don't think some of these battles are healthy for society.

"I love technology, I love invention, I like rapid change, and really it's the golden age of wireless devices and mobile devices."

Bezos isn't the only one tiring of the patent hoopla - the UN held a summit earlier this month during which Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and other tech giants got together to try and find a solution.

Technology in 2012 has been pockmarked by patent filings and verdicts, the most notable of which is Apple v Samsung in which a US court found in favour of the Cupertino company.

It's not over 'til it's over, though – Samsung is currently appealing the $1 billion ruling so the case is set to rumble on into 2013.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/amazon-ceo-calls-on-governments-to-end-tech-patent-warfare-1105027

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Apple has LTE patent war chest prepared for iPhone 5 threats from Samsung

Apple tools up as Samsung prepares legal challenge

Apple has pulled together 434 LTE patents in order to counter a legal threat from Samsung, according to reports on Tuesday.

Samsung has vowed to sue the bejesus out of Apple if, as expected, if unveils an LTE-enabled iPhone 5 during the launch event now confirmed for September 12.

Anticipating this, Apple has been acquiring and developing enough LTE patents to combat the legal challenge, according to the Chosun Ilbo website.

The company had no such patents last year, but now owns 318, according to the site, 44 of which it developed itself.

Patent enforcers

Apple also owns a majority stake in the 'patent enforcement firm' Rockstar Bidco, which has another 116 at its disposal. That brings Apple's total to 434.

Samsung, on the other hand, has a whopping 819 LTE patents and we're pretty sure the company's lawyers are sharpening their claws as we speak, following last month's legal mauling.

Are y'all ready for the next round of Apple vs. Samsung? Coming to a courtroom near California.

Source : techradar[dot]com

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