Hasta La Gadget!

The longstanding disagreement between Google and MPEG LA is finally over, as the two parties have reached a licensing agreement for several patents covering video compression. As a quick refresher, MPEG LA owns the technology behind h.264, the current king of video codecs. Meanwhile, Google’s own VP8 video codec is a part of its WebM standard, but MPEG LA cried foul, claiming that Google’s technology was infringing. Apparently, the companies found common ground, and with the settlement in place, WebM is free from patent encumbrances and video producers can do what they do without fear of legal retribution.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: Phoronix

Apple is one company whose designs in recent years have proven to be nothing short of beautiful, and this time around, we have come across a patent that has something to do with a material that one would not normally associate with touch sensitivity. Most of the recent devices from Apple tend to make a whole lot of use of metal, but as we all know, the metal used are not normally conducive to touch, in the literal sense of the word. After all, capacitive touch does not always register on a metal device, what more a response to pressure?

Apple might be on to something new here, after a recently published patent from them which will allow the metal to detect changes made in capacitance between hidden nodes whenever a device’s shell is put under strain. Obviously, when that happens, it will trigger a hardware or software reaction. No idea on just how Apple is going to apply that particular patent down the road with their devices, if ever, but you might end up working those muscles in your hands with a whole lot of squeezing done. I suppose games that take advantage of this squeezing technique would also be creative then.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Experiencing A “Lull In Innovation” According To Ex-CEO John Sculley, iPhone 5S Production Rumored To Be Ramping Up At Foxconn,

A recently published Apple patent reveals the design for a “magnetic tablet configured to rigidly hold a portion of the tablet device in place.” You can bet that “tablet device” is the iPad, and judging from the many photos associated with the patent, the stand is meant to mount the slate more securely than your average dock, not to mention the Smart Cover. One scenario, for instance, shows the iPad secured on top of a treadmill, while another depicts the device hanging from the roof of the car. By far the most intriguing example is two iPads connected to each other magnetically, creating a hinge between the two displays. Click through to the source link for a look at Cupertino’s other envisioned use cases for this super-strength stand — though don’t get your hopes up on seeing this design hit stores any time soon; the original patent was filed in late 2011.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets, Apple

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Source: USPTO, Free Patents Online

Earlier today, we reported that Samsung allegedly hired the UK judge that forced Apple to publicly apologize over patent infringement that it committed against the Korean-based company, saying that the judge, Sir Robin Jacob, could help the company out with its lawsuit with Ericsson due to his patent expertise. However, Samsung has denied that they were involved with hiring Jacob.

Samsung says that “Sir Robin Jacob is not a legal representative of Samsung Electronics,” but he is now a contractor for “a law firm that represents Samsung Electronics in its case against Ericsson.” In other words, Jacob doesn’t work for Samsung, and he had no interaction with Samsung during the hiring process. He was merely hired by the law firm that represents Samsung.

Jacob is now a retired judge, but his expertise will no doubt prove useful for any law firm or company he works for. However, it’s possible that his patent expertise was one of the main reasons he was hired by this law firm, and that his main duties in this law firm will be working with Samsung, which in turn is about as close as you can get to working for a company without actually being an employee of theirs.

Obviously, we already know what side Jacob is one as far as the battle between Apple and Samsung, so there’s no doubt that Jacob would be a good fit in representing Samsung in any future court battles, but it may still shake a few feathers from competitors, including Apple. However, we’ll have to wait and see what Jacob’s roll will be in the coming future.

Samsung denies any involvement in UK judge recruitment is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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As famous judges go, Sir Robin Jacob doesn’t quite rank up there with some others we can think of (like that handsome fella on the left). But he is well known in legal circles, thanks largely to an important judgement he made against Apple last year. Sir Robin was among three British judges who forced Apple to apologize for accusing Samsung of stealing tablet designs, and he was especially heavily quoted in the press after he highlighted a “lack of integrity” in the way Apple had presented its case. Fast forward to now, however, and Sir Robin is in the limelight for a very different reason. He’s quit the role of impartial arbiter in order to become an “expert” who is “working on behalf of” Samsung in a separate dispute with the ITC. We’re certainly not accusing the guy of any wrongdoing, but it’s interesting that the system allows people to switch between roles just like that. Lawyers, eh?

Update: Here’s a word on the matter from Samsung:

“Sir Robin Jacob is not a legal representative of Samsung Electronics. A highly reputed intellectual property expert and academic, Sir Robin has been contracted as an expert by a law firm that represents Samsung Electronics in its case against Ericsson.”

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung

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Source: FOSS Patents