Apple has been granted a new patent today (spotted by AppleInsider), called “Image selection for an incoming call” which describes a system for dynamically choosing an image to display for inbound caller ID, sourced from either a locally stored image library or a cloud-based gallery. It uses cues like Contact info including phone numbers, and potentially also iMessage email addresses to see who’s… → Read More
Russia’s government is looking to reform intellectual property law in the country, a move that could have an effect on how many patents get registered, and on the number of startups in a country known for its star engineers, but less so for business people who can execute on those ideas. → Read More
Sometimes self-interest can make for some unlikely friendships. According to Bloomberg, Apple and Google have finally teamed up to buy Kodak’s portfolio of patents out of bankruptcy for an estimated $500 million. Yes, the two companies are bitter rivals when it comes to the smartphone market, and really every other market — even wearable tech, apparently. → Read More
The USPTO has issued a preliminary notice indicating that the famous ‘Steve Jobs’ patent, which describes basic multitouch technology including scrolling, might be invalid, according to a first Office action uncovered by FOSS Patents. The ruling is very early, however, and Apple still has two months to make an initial response and a number of appeals before the patent in question might finally be… → Read More
Editor’s note: Brian J. Love is an assistant professor of law at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he teaches courses in patent law and remedies.
On the heels of losing a jury trial and a billion-dollar verdict to Apple in August, Samsung must now attempt to persuade U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh not to issue an injunction banning sales of phones found to infringe Apple’s patents. → Read More
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles by Brad Woodcox that explores the patent system for entrepreneurs. The first examined the basics of the system.
Now that you have background knowledge of the patent system (at least within the U.S.), we can analyze probably the most difficult question: “Should you pursue patents for your company or invention?” → Read More
A new patent application from Apple spotted by Patently Apple describes a modification to the OS X dock that combines elements of the iBooks shelves it uses in iOS devices with Launchpad to provide quicker access to more apps from a user’s desktop. The application, filed in May 2011, could be an indicator of how Apple is thinking about changes to OS X’s current app launching tools for upcoming… → Read More
Last time we checked in with Apple’s ongoing court battle with Samsung in the upcoming Galaxy Nexus case, which will be tried by the same court that awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages this past summer, Apple was adding the latest Samsung devices to the suit. Now Samsung has responded in kind, adding the iPad mini, 4th generation iPad and 5th generation iPod touch to the mix. → Read More
In a court filing this week spotted by Bloomberg, Apple indicated that it is “interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola completely and agrees that arbitration may be the best vehicle to resolve the parties’ dispute.” Motorola Mobility had discussed the possibility of arbitration back on November 5, when a federal judge tossed a case Apple had filed saying Motorola was abusing… → Read More
In an ongoing California court case between Apple and Samsung, a judge on Thursday granted the requests of both companies to add recently released hardware to the suit. The iPhone 5 is now included, as well as Samsung’s U.S. Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (specifically as it pertains to the Galaxy Nexus, and not beyond). → Read More
Apple has a couple new patent applications this morning, spotted by AppleInsider and detailing two very useful features for mobile devices. The first is a method for detecting and adjusting noise resulting from an iPhone vibrating in silent mode, and the second is a design for auto-zooming of content based on the proximity of a user’s face to a screen to present content at the best size for… → Read More
Editor’s note: Brad Woodcox is a technical specialist focusing on startup development for Novak Druce + Quigg, an intellectual property super boutique law firm.
Patents. A single word that incites a fervor in the online tech blogging realm, perhaps only behind the emotional responses with the iPhone vs. Android battle or TechCrunch using expletives in an article title. → Read More
Apple had a couple of new patent applications published by the USPTO today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one detailing how internal fans could be made to fit mobile devices to help dissipate heat, and another for headphones that become speakers for when listening goes from private to shared scenarios, which even describes how in-ear models could work that way. The patent for internal fans… → Read More
Apple can’t catch a break in the courts right now. In the latest legal blow for Cupertino, a U.S. court has ruled its FaceTime videocalling technology infringes four patents owned by technology company VirnetX. A U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Texas has ordered Apple to pay more than $368 million in damages to VirnetX. → Read More
Apple is hoping to add Samsung’s latest tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to a list of product it claims infringe its patents in an existing court case in California, Bloomberg reports. The arguments supporting these additions were made in federal court in San Jose today, and follow Samsung’s expressed intent to add the iPhone 5 its own infringement claims. → Read More
Apple was granted a couple of interesting patents today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one for multitouch surfaces embedded in devices that appear and disappear as needed, as well as a new cooling apparatus design that can redirect air to where it’s needed most within a device. One is just a twist on tech Apple already uses, and the other is something that could address warm lap issues… → Read More
Another loss for Apple in the courts: a Dutch court in the Hague has ruled Samsung does not infringe an Apple multitouch patent, Reuters is reporting. Apple had argued last month in the court that Samsung infringed its patent on multi-touch function, according to the news agency. “With these products Samsung does not infringe the claims that Apple has made,” the latest court ruling said. → Read More
Apple’s looking into some intriguing things in a couple of new patent applications spotted oday, including sonar-style echolocation for passive proximity detection, and a text-to-speech engine that takes contextual cues about what it’s reading and adds personality to the computer-generated voices it employs. Both of these could result in big changes in the daily use of mobile devices. → Read More
Apple was granted a number of patents today, including a couple that could have big implications for its range of mobile devices. One describes a Wii remote style 3D control mechanism that users sensors to determine its position in spac, and the other is a system for detecting, gathering and providing information about unauthorized users of a person’s iPhone or other mobile device. → Read More
With Apple and Samsung still duking it out in the patent courtroom, a survey of U.S. consumers conducted by Morpace has taken a look at how the dispute is playing out among the gadget-buying public. Apple, it found, comes out pretty rosy, but ultimately the survey delivers some discouraging conclusions about where cases like these are taking the mobile industry overall. → Read More
A new patent application uncovered by AppleInsider today shows that Apple is working on ways to make hybrid headphones that work via both Bluetooth and a wired connection, and can switch seamlessly between the two. It’s a system designed to come in handy during physical activity, complete with the ability to recharge directly from the attached device. → Read More
Via Licensing, a fully owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, today announced that ten major players in the mobile industry have banded together to join the organization’s new patent pool for standard essential LTE patents. The companies that will offer their patents for licensing through Via’s LTE pool are AT&T, Clearwire Corporation, DTVG Licensing, HP, KDDI Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, SK… → Read More
Today is apparently Apple patent application day, and there’s another new one just published and unearthed by AppleInsider that describes a method for inductive charging. “But inductive charging already exists,” I hear you all cry out in unison. That’s true, but Apple’s added a device orientation trick to the mix that could vastly alter the scope of what’s possible via wireless… → Read More
Editor’s Note: Leonid (“Lenny”) Kravets is a patent attorney at Panitch, Schwarze, Belisario and Nadel, LLP in Philadelphia, PA. Lenny focuses his practice on patent prosecution and intellectual property transactions in computer-related technology areas. He specializes in developing IP strategy for young technology companies and blogs on this topic at StartupsIP. Follow Lenny on Twitter: … → Read More
The patent dramas of the last couple of years have included fights between the very biggest tech titans — Oracle v. Google; Samsung v. Apple; etc. — those picking on the little guys — remember patent troll Lodsys suing all those iOS developers? — and everything in between (here’s one just from today), with a lot of hand-wringing over how destructive the whole patent industry is. Now Stack… → Read More
PersonalWeb and Level 3 Communications have filed patent complaint against Rackspace for hosting GitHub. Update: PersonalWeb has a history of suing large tech companies, including Google, Facebook and Apple.
Update: Here’s Rackspace’s response. → Read More
Almost exactly a month ago, Google’s Motorola Mobility filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington. Today, the ITC announced its decision to institute a formal investigation of Motorola’s claims. The suit, which aims to block Apple from importing virtually all of its current hardware to the U.S., alleges that Apple’s devices… → Read More
Look, I get it. It’s a great story, maybe the greatest in the history of American business. From Day One, Apple did things the right way: clean, elegant, beautiful. But they were brought to their knees by Microsoft’s colossal mediocrity. Their visionary founder was forced out. They teetered on the brink. And then–bam! They were saved (ironically, by Microsoft.) They regained their footing.
And… → Read More
We still have to wait and see how the jury’s ruling against Samsung over Apple patents will play out for the company in terms of actual fines, injunctions — and crucially — future device design for the handset giant. But for now the markets have spoken. Share prices for Samsung Electronics fell by 7.5% yesterday, equating to a $12 billion loss in market value. However, it looks like this was a… → Read More
Here’s a timely story on how other companies not called Apple are also profiting from tech patents. Today AOL announced a share repurchase of $600 million in AOL stock, along with a one-time cash dividend of $5.15 per share, as the final steps in returning all of the proceeds from its $1.1 billion sale of patents to Microsoft.
The news was announced to the market, as well as to AOL staffers by… → Read More
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