Apple has scored a potentially key victory in the Great Patent Race of 2011. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple a patent on the “Slide to Unlock” functionality that was made popular with the introduction of the iPhone and is now found in many Android devices. The details ... Read More »
It’s no secret that Apple and Microsoft have very different views on how to handle patent infringement. Apple chooses to take everyone to court instead of licensing patents. The Cupertino-based company recently went on the record saying that, even if they win their current court cases with manufacturer Samsung, they will still only ... Read More »
Over the weekend, the ongoing patent war between Samsung and Apple took an interesting turn. No new devices have been banned, but a rather unlikely third-party has made their opinion on the situation known. The unlikely third-party is Verizon, and it looks like the carrier may become the voice of reason.
Verizon has filed the ... Read More »
If you thought Motorola’s 17,000 patents were enough to satisfy Google, think again. The Mountain View company just acquired a whopping 1,023 patents from IBM. And unlike July’s patent purchase, this batch seems to be almost exclusively about Android.
As you might remember, Google acquired 1,030 patents from IBM back in ... Read More »
Selling patent licenses and “protecting” smaller companies is nothing new for Microsoft. Earlier this summer, Microsoft made headlines several times for doing just that. Microsoft has been doing this for years now, so what’s made these latest licensing deals headline worthy? It’s because the patents haven’t gone out to cover Windows manufacturers. Instead, Android manufacturers ... Read More »
In today’s episode of the patent wars, it seems Microsoft has finally proven they’re ready to get serious. Standing before the US International Trade Commission today, Microsoft has requested a ban on all imports of Motorola smartphones. The company claims Motorola devices infringe upon seven different patents Microsoft controls.
The filing includes everything from contact ... Read More »
As the aftermath of Google’s acquisition of Motorola continues to play out, different manufacturers are handling the news in entirely different ways. Samsung has made a commitment to bolstering their software department. They’ve already hired Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik, and rumors of a MIUI partnership are making headlines again. HTC has gone all out ... Read More »
It was just four days ago now, August 15th, when evidence surfaced online proving Apple had manipulated pictures of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a submission to the German court system. Essentially, Apple altered a picture of a Galaxy Tab to be the same size as the iPad. The argument has been made ... Read More »
Google’s intentions to buy Motorola are still being hotly debated in the tech community. Everybody and their mom is arguing about what’s going to happen next. However, very few people are talking about how it got to the point where Google felt the need to acquire such a huge company. Were Google and ... Read More »
Just how much is a mobile patent worth? If it keeps your company from losing millions of dollars every quarter alone, quite a bit. Still, there is no real number value yet, since most patent portfolios have been bought at auction. And as the threat of legal battles grows every bigger, prices have gone up. ... Read More »
