Hasta La Gadget!

It took complete failure to do it, but it looks like Modu founder Dov Moran finally found that new source of capital he went hunting for last November. In an effort to pay back creditors and unpaid wages, the firm’s patent portfolio is slated to be snatched up by Google for roughly $4.8 million. What’s Mountain View going to do with a mess of ultra-lite modular phone patents? It didn’t come up, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if it had something to do with its Danger-powered hardware wing and Android Open Accessory. Putting Modu to rest hasn’t phased ‘ol Dov, though; Israeli news source Calcalist reports that he’s already invested three million smackers in a mysterious new start up — about which Moran remains tight lipped. Goodnight, Modu; we’ll always remember you as the audacious underdog who had the brass to tell Nokia to say their prayers.

Google to buy Modu patents, hopefully leave Nokia alone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 23:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BGR  |  Calcalist  | Email this | Comments

It’s taken the US Patent and Trademark Office four and half years to consider it, but Facebook now finally has a patent on one of its central features: photo tagging. Applied for in October 2006 and just granted this week, this legal doc gives Mark Zuckerberg and a couple of his buddies credit for designing a method for identifying users in “a selection of an item of digital media.” That could be photos, video, audio, or text — the main drive of the patent is that it lets people associate a given chunk of media with a person and inform others of this association. The wording of Facebook’s claims is rather specific — you have to, for example, allow the identified person the opportunity to reject the identification — so having this patent need not necessarily preclude other sites like Flickr from engaging in similar, but not identical, behavior.

Facebook granted patent for tagging digital media originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 03:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Inside Facebook  |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Nuance voices found in OS X Lion, patent application suggests new iPhone speech / text capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 9 to 5 Mac, CNET  |  Netputing, Patently Apple  | Email this | Comments

A handful of iOS developers received letters this week from a patent holding firm claiming that their applications that offer in-app purchases infringe on the firm’s intellectual property (IP). The letter threatens legal action if developers don’t license the patent within 21 days. Lodsys, the firm in question, has apparently patented a system that collects usage data and facilitates feedback between a customer and vendor, though it doesn’t address financial transactions specifically. The allegedly infringing applications use Apple’s in-app purchase tool to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version after downloading a free app. Though it’s possible that Lodsys has sent a similar warning to Apple, only individual developers confirmed receiving the document. This makes us wonder if the company is skipping the well-armed big target in favor of the little guys.

Several developers posted on Twitter after receiving the letters, including Patrick McCarron (Shanghai for iPad), James Thomson (PCalc), and Matt Braun (MASH). They’re understandably unwilling to share too many details at this point — even though Apple developed the framework, developers could still be liable. Lodsys appears to be in the business of launching suits referencing U.S. patent 7,222,078, having gone after Canon, HP, Samsung, and other giants earlier this year. As the developers that have come to light so far are independent, with limited budgets, some have reached out to Apple legal for assistance, and are awaiting response. We aren’t seeing the connection between the patent and in-app purchases, though that’s ultimately up to a federal court to determine, if the firm even files a lawsuit. Drama in its finest form, folks.

Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  MacRumors  | Email this | Comments

The International Trade Commission has weighed in on one half of the ongoing Apple-Kodak legal saga, ruling in favor of the team from Rochester. In a decision handed down yesterday, ITC Judge Robert Rogers determined that Apple’s allegations of patent infringement are unfounded, adding that one of the company’s patents is invalid. At issue are two digital camera technologies owned by Apple. One allows a camera to process multiple photos at the same time, while the other enables users to simultaneously adjust an image’s balance, color and resolution. Apple claimed that Kodak illegally used these mechanisms in its Z-series, M-series, C-series, and Slice cameras, in addition to some video cameras. Judge Rogers clearly disagreed, though he won’t be able to publicly explain his reasoning until both sides have had enough time to review confidential documents. Rogers’ decision will also be subject to review by the full ITC, which is expected to issue a yea or nay on September 19th. A Kodak spokesman said the company is understandably “pleased” by the decision, but it won’t have much time to rest on its laurels. On May 23rd, the ITC will announce a decision in a patent lawsuit that Kodak filed against both Apple and RIM, way back in January 2010. Stay tuned.

ITC judge rules against Apple in patent infringement case, Kodak smiles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments