Sep 22

Oracle amends complaint against Google to $2 billion, risks the wrath of Judge Alsup

Posted in: Android, Google, lawsuit, patent, patents, Today's Chili
Oracle Vs. Google

Oracle’s damage claim against Google in it’s battle over Java patents keeps inching downwards, but not nearly quick enough to please either Big G or Judge William Alsup. The Redwood Shores-based company initially sought $6.1 billion, but eventually lowered that to $2.6 billion. The judge responded by suggesting a far more modest $100 million starting point for a settlement and sent Oracle back to the drawing board. Well, the company amended its complaint, and is now asking for only $2 billion. Judge Alsup has grown noticeably more impatient with both sides as the suit has progressed towards trial, which is still scheduled for October. We can’t wait to see what sort of outburst Oracle’s latest move inspires in his honor — we’re expecting a flying gavel or two.

Oracle amends complaint against Google to $2 billion, risks the wrath of Judge Alsup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobile Burn  |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Sep 19

Samsung moves to block iPhone 5 in Korea, expands its anti-Apple offensive

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, korea, lawsuit, mobilepostcross, patent, samsung, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili
Samsung Vs. Apple

Well, since Samsung couldn’t get an early peek at the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, the company has simply decided to take a page from Apple’s playbook. A senior exec told The Korea Times it plans to file a request to block the sale of the upcoming iOS handset in its Korean homeland the moment the device is announced. According to the Times, the anonymous exec said it would leverage its wireless technology patents and demand that Apple either remove the telecommunications features — turning the iPhone into an iPod touch — or simply be banished from the Korean market. The knock-down-drag-out war between the two companies has only seemed to escalate in recent weeks, as Sammy has taken a much more combative and offensive approach. We can only hope the two get tired of divvying up the globe and declare a draw in this game of patent Risk.

Samsung moves to block iPhone 5 in Korea, expands its anti-Apple offensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Korea Times  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Sep 18

Samsung countersues Apple in Australia, claims iPhone / iPad 2 violate its patents

Posted in: Android, Apple, galaxy, galaxy s ii, GalaxyS, GalaxySIi, germany, Google, GoogleAndroid, ipad, iPhone, ipod, Law, lawsuit, legal, mobilepostcross, patent, patents, samsung, Today's Chili

Man. Exciting stuff, here. Stuff like lawyers yelling at each other in varied continents because “your stuff looks too much like my theoretical stuff.” The long, winding and increasingly mind-numbing battle between Samsung and Apple has taken yet another turn in Australia, with the former slapping the latter with a bold countersuit. According to The Wall Street Journal, Sammy feels that the iPhone and iPad 2 both “violate a number of wireless technology patents held by Samsung.” Spokesman Nam Ki-yung stated the following: “To defend our intellectual property, Samsung filed a cross claim for Apple’s violation of Samsung’s wireless technology patents.” The suit is being filed just days / weeks before a ruling will decide on whether the Galaxy Tab 10.1 can be legally sold Down Under, and in related news, Samsung is also appealing a recent ruling back in Germany. If ever the world needed an out-of-court settlement…

Samsung countersues Apple in Australia, claims iPhone / iPad 2 violate its patents originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Sep 16

New PSN user agreement makes it harder to sue Sony: class actions out (sort of), arbitrations in

Posted in: lawsuit, legal, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, sony, Today's Chili

Hmmm, wonder what brought this on? Sony’s gone and changed the lingo in its PSN user agreement to require binding arbitration to settle any future disputes — making it much harder for disgruntled customers to get their day in court. Want to keep your right to sue? You can opt out of the arbitration requirement by sending a letter to Sony’s lawyers saying you’ll be keeping your courtroom entry card, thank you very much. Additionally, the change won’t affect class-action litigation started by August 20th of this year. That means people whose privacy was compromised in the great PSN outage of 2011 that already filed suit needn’t be concerned. For the rest of you, we’d advise breaking out the pen and paper ASAP if you wanna keep the halls of justice open for future complaints.

[Image from photosync/Shutterstock]

New PSN user agreement makes it harder to sue Sony: class actions out (sort of), arbitrations in originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Examiner, Ars Technica  |  sourceSony (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Sep 16

Apple strikes settlement with NYC vendors accused of selling counterfeit products

Posted in: accessories, Apple, iPhone, ipod, Law, lawsuit, new-york, Today's Chili

Remember that lawsuit Apple filed against a pair of Queens stores accused of selling fake iDevice accessories? Well, it looks like it’s coming to a close. According to Reuters, Cupertino has reached a settlement with the two Chinatown-area retailers, both of which have agreed to hand over all products emblazoned with the Apple name or logo. If the settlement is approved, the two vendors, Fun Zone and Apple Story, will have five days to clear all counterfeit iPod and iPhone accessories from their inventories, along with any allegedly trademark-infringing promotional materials. The defendants, who maintain their innocence, would also be barred from destroying any records of sales, manufacturing or distribution of the unauthorized cases and headphones — presumably as part of Apple’s ongoing crusade against counterfeiters. Apple Story, meanwhile, would have to change its name, which bears an obvious similarity to another well-known outlet. The proposed settlement was filed with a Brooklyn District Court on Thursday and now awaits the approval of US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto. Neither Apple nor the defendants have commented on the case.

Apple strikes settlement with NYC vendors accused of selling counterfeit products originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MacRumors  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Sep 13

Apple wants to press pause on patent suits, calls Motorola a lame duck

Posted in: Apple, Google, lawsuit, mobilepostcross, motorola, patent, patents, Today's Chili

In what could turn out to be a very expensive lesson in minding one’s mouth, Apple plans to use Google’s and Motorola’s own words against them in court. Over the weekend, Cupertino’s lawyers filed two motions to stay in patent-related litigation with Moto, claiming the OEM’s pending merger renders its patent suits indefensible. According to Apple’s legal team, the proposed Motorola Mobility acquisition effectively transfers patent control over to Google, an allegation that public-facing statements from both companies seem to corroborate. Citing the potential waste of resources and probable reversal of future pre-merger settlements, the house that Jobs built is hoping to hold off on the court room fisticuffs until after the GoogMo consolidation is settled. With both cases set for far-off trial dates in April and August of 2012, it looks like all parties involved have plenty of time to sort this mess out, and then battle it out once again.

Apple wants to press pause on patent suits, calls Motorola a lame duck originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Apple Insider  |  sourceFOSS Patents  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Sep 13

Warner Bros. Copyright Clowns Take Five Spoons of Their Own Medicine

Posted in: lawsuit, Today's Chili, top

According to Hotfile, a guy by the name of Michael Bentkover and his cronies are copyright dicks, crooks and liars. Not with those words, but that’s the executive summary of their copyright fraud lawsuit against Warner Brothers. More »

No Comments
Sep 13

Samsung files French patent complaint against Apple, targets iPhone, iPad

Posted in: Apple, GalaxyTab, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, iphone 3g, Iphone3g, Law, lawsuit, minipost, mobile, patent, samsung, smartphone, tablet, Today's Chili

Samsung has retaliated against Apple once again — this time, in France, where the Korean manufacturer has filed a complaint alleging that Cupertino infringed upon a trio of its patents. Originally filed with a Paris district court in July and announced yesterday, the complaint claims that the UMTS technologies featured in the iPhone and 3G-enabled iPads violate three of Samsung’s patents. Unlike a previous case in Germany, which recently resulted in a nationwide injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, this filing “focuses on three technology patents, and not on the design of the tablets,” as a Samsung spokesperson was quick to point out. Details on the patents in question remain blurry for the moment, but it’ll probably be a while before the case progresses anyway, with the first hearing scheduled for December.

Samsung files French patent complaint against Apple, targets iPhone, iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAFP  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Sep 10

AT&T files response to DOJ suit, says regulators just don’t understand

Posted in: att, government, industry, lawsuit, merger, mobilepostcross, t-mobile, TMobile, Today's Chili
AT&T&T

It’s no secret or surprise that AT&T is unhappy with the DOJ’s decision to try and block its merger with T-Mobile. But issuing public statements is one thing, officially filing papers in court is another. Ma Bell submitted a 25-page document arguing that the Justice Department’s claims represent a misunderstanding of the market and dismisses competition from “innovative upstarts,” like MetroPCS and US Cellular. AT&T’s lawyers point out that T-Mo, currently the fourth largest provider, has been losing customers for years and it’s German parent company may not be inclined to invest much in improving it. By contrast, AT&T has spent $30 billion over the last two years to boost network quality and capacity, yet still struggles to keep up with demand. We can’t say the arguments are without validity, but the government’s fear of a market dominated by just three companies with little incentive to innovate or drive down prices also seems well founded. Well, the pageantry officially gets underway on September 21st, when the US District Court hearings begin.

AT&T files response to DOJ suit, says regulators just don’t understand originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAssociate Press  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Sep 09

Engadget Podcast 255 – 09.09.2011

Posted in: Apple, Google, HTC, lawsuit, nintendo 3ds, Nintendo3ds, podcast, RIM, Today's Chili

As a lover of all things nostalgic and good, you’ll certainly appreciate the dulcet tones of Peter Rojas, Engadget founder, major proponent of All Things Good With Tech, and the original voice of the Engadget Podcast, on this edition of the Engadget Podcast. There’s a lot of thought work to be done on the week’s news, fraught with patent kerfuffles, Android editions, and listener questions, and we do believe we’ve done the heavy lifting — with Peter’s help. Come join us.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guest: Peter Rojas
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

01:30 – Droid Bionic review
10:00 – Droid Bionic arrives at Verizon tomorrow, we go hands-on today (video)
20:00 – Motorola Droid Bionic finally available on Verizon, angels sing in chorus
41:08 – Is this Nintendo’s 3DS joystick add-on?
47:35 – Shareholder calls for RIM to sell itself or its patents, in critical open letter
51:25 – HTC sues Apple with help from formerly Google-owned patents
55:25 – Eric Schmidt: Ice Cream Sandwich coming in October or November
57:51 – Listener questions

Hear the podcast

Subscribe to the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace

Download the podcast

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)

Contact the podcast

Send your questions to @tim_stevens.
Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)
E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com
Twitter: @tim_stevens, @bheater, @peterrojas

Filed under:

Engadget Podcast 255 – 09.09.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,