Hasta La Gadget!

The wrangling over patents has shifted its focus to Motorola today, which took a blow in court over standards-essential patents and how much the company is entitled to over them. Specifically, the now Google-owned Motorola Mobility sought billions from Microsoft over its use of the patents, but a judge has put the kibosh on that, dropping the figure substantially.

Such a ruling has impact outside of this particular legal spat, potentially laying a foundation for future issues regarding how much a company can receive financially for patents that are standards essential, such as the h.264 and wireless patents involved in this case. Microsoft uses some of Motorola’s patents, and for that use Motorola sought more than 4 billion dollars.

U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle, Washington gave his ruling on Thursday, saying that rather than the billions it wanted, Motorola Mobility is actually owned more in the range of $1.8 million annually from Microsoft for its use of the patents. The judge went on to elaborate on this decision, explaining why the rate is so much lower than what was being sought.

Dozens of entities all have, for example, wireless standards-essential patents, and the cost of paying the wanted rate out to each of them for using the technology would result in wireless networking costs exceedingly high. Needless to say, Microsoft was satisfied with the decision, but Motorola was less enthused, giving a rather generic statement that it licenses its patents at rates similar to other companies in the same industry.

[via AllThingsD]

Judge to Motorola: You’re asking too much for patents is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The USPTO published a number of Apple patent applications Tuesday, including two related to automobiles (via AppleInsider). The car patents both describe systems that can be built into future iPhones, replacing most of the functionality of your standard key fob with the smartphone, and providing a way to help drivers navigate the often maze-like interiors of parking garages to find their ride.

In one application, Apple describes what amounts to a series of different indoor positioning systems to help drivers locate their cars when parked. The system would involve pairing a car and an iPhone via Bluetooth, and then using that connection to automatically detect when a car ends up actually parking in a spot. Then, it uses sensor data communicated from the parking facility itself to peg a location.

Once a user returns to the garage, they can trigger the phone to find their current positioning data from the same system, and then provide actual guidance or directions back to their car itself. The patent describes parking garages in which devices are placed at regular intervals throughout to help facilitate the indoor location portion. Apple’s recent acquisition of indoor positioning system company WiFiSLAM could also work very well in terms of helping provide a way to make this system work.

The IPS element is interesting, but where Apple’s patent is really unique is in using on-board device sensors, including things like the camera and microphone, to determine automatically when a car parks to begin with to trigger the car location logging information. There are plenty of “where did I park my car” apps out there (though few boast IPS), but the automatic, fully-integrated way Apple’s system would work would make it so that you don’t even have to remember to activate it.

The other car-related application describes a system that would turn the iPhone into a remote car starter, unlocker, and essentially a parental control device for a target vehicle. The patent talks about using Bluetooth to pair a car and a handset, then allowing a user to choose their level of security, making it possible to have the phone unlock the car automatically based on proximity, or require a PIN to even use any car control functions.

Apple’s patent goes further than most remote starter/unlocker key fobs by allowing a user to set specific limits for particular devices, like making it possible to start the engine with a phone only during set hours, setting a max speed for use with a particular device, limiting access to infotainment services, and building in geofencing. All of these can be used in theft prevention, but also to set limits on say a teen child’s car permissions.

It’s about time that cars got tighter integration with mobile devices, in ways that make the best use of all the tech on board our modern smartphones. Many car companies seem to be open to working closer with Apple, too, so while there’s a lot of infrastructure changes described in these patents, we still could see these features make their way to shipping devices over the next few years.

Just last week Microsoft added Foxconn’s parent company to its growing list of licensees for patents it asserts are key to Android, and now ZTE has inked a deal with Ballmer and Co. as well. Now that the pact is in place, Microsoft says it’s struck patent accords with roughly 20 hardware makers, and that 60 percent of phones sold with Google’s open source OS are covered by such licenses. With HTC and LG already paying Redmond royalties for devices using Android, that leaves the likes of Google, Motorola and Huawei as the odd manufacturers out. If Motorola has its way, however, that won’t change.

Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft, Google

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Source: Reuters

In late 2010, a Motorola complaint against Apple spurred what has been a long-lived legal squabble between the two companies, something Google has been on the losing end of. Earlier today, the U.S. International Trade Commission sided with Apple in a case started by Motorola over a sensor patent. Google sought to have certain varieties of the iPhone that used the patent’s feature blocked in the US, but instead the patent was invalidated.

U.S. Patent No. 6,246,862 concerns a patent related to technology that keeps your smartphone from accidentally opening an application when near your body or hanging up when it touches your cheek during a call. Judge Pender had invalidated it, saying – according to FOSS Patents – that an earlier Motorola patent caused it to lack novelty.

The ITC didn’t agree that the older patent made the one in question invalid, but that it instead made the patent “obvious” when combined with a secondary patent or common general knowledge. Google can now appeal, but in doing so will need to argue against a variety of defenses, including the reasons specified by the ITC. According to Bloomberg, Google is disappointed about the decision and is considering its next step.

This is the last patent-in-suit remaining from the legal spat initiated years ago, making it particularly notable. The decision follows one on Friday by the Mannheim Regional Court in Germany that Google can’t get an injunction against Microsoft because of the push notification patent it holds, with the court ruling that Google must give Microsoft a license under a different licensing agreement.

[via FOSS Patents]

US International Trade Commission sides with Apple in Motorola patent case is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft has announced the signing of a patent licensing agreement with Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn. The agreement covers devices that run Chrome OS and Android, such as smartphones and tablets, and is even said to cover televisions. This makes Hon Hai the latest in what is a growing list of manufacturers with Chrome and Android patent licenses.

Not much is known about the lincensing agreement, with the announcement by Microsoft stating that it is confidential in nature. The only detail released was that Microsoft will be getting royalties from Hon Hai, although actual numbers weren’t specified. According to Microsoft, this is one of over 1100 licensing agreements it has taken part in.

Said Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group’s VP and Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez: “We are pleased that the list of companies benefitting from Microsoft’s Android licensing program now includes the world’s largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai. By licensing both brand name companies and their contract manufacturers, we have successfully increased the overall effectiveness and global reach of the program.”

Hon Hai also had things to say, with the director of its Intellectual Property Department saying that the company both recognizes and respects the protection of intellectual property, and that its licensing deal with Microsoft is representative of such. The Foxconn parent company is presently the largest maker of contract electronics in the world.

[via Microsoft]

Microsoft announces patent licensing agreement with Foxconn parent Hon Hai is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.