Intellectual property (patent) disputes in the smartphone and tablet industries

[MJLiverock]

One thing I have learned from studying patent claims on drugs and technology is that it is best left to the patent lawyers and engineers to decipher who stole what or invented what. Just when someone claims it is their idea some old patent comes out of the woodwork from 10 years ago or some minor tweak makes a difference. Who would have thought Tivo had patents on something as simple and ubiquitous as FFWD and RWND for a DVR yet EchoStar fought tooth and nail and lost. With drugs a patent challenge is filed almost immediately after a patent is granted.

[endaround]

Apple's IP lawyers are vicious (again ironic since they are only still around do to people stealing music)

http://www.techdirt.com/a...-small-german-cafe.shtml

[thebruce44]

Your problem shouldn't be with Apple, it is simply acting as any smart company under capitalism would act to protect its own interests. The fact that other companies (Microsoft, for example) handle it in a different manner (legal settlements) is entirely up to the determination and rights of the one who owns the patent.

Well now that Apple has forced everyone else to start playing dirty, the consumers in Europe are going to suffer with a possible ban on everything running iOS. Apple just got a seriously bad taste of their own medicine this week with three devastating court decisions in less than 48 hours. I don't know why they thought it was smart to go on such an offensive when everyone else could get them back.

An Australian court on Friday lifted a ban on the sale of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy tablet computer in the country, adding to a U.S. legal victory for the South Korean technology firm in its bruising battle with Apple Inc.

So Samsung wins in the US and Austraia, butthe kicker is:

Apple just found itself on the receiving-end of some legal hurt. Motorola has successfully sued Apple in Germany, paving the way for a Europe-wise sales ban on basically all iOS devices. Better get those Apple stocking stuffers like nowish.

 

Motorola Mobility has won its first of two patent-infringement cases against Apple, both of which were filed back in April. This grants them an injunction against all of the products which infringe. No big deal, that only includes the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, the original iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G. Oh damn. And if you're feeling smug because you didn't see the iPhone 4S in there, that's only because the lawsuit was filed back in April, but it's a pretty safe bet that the 4S includes the offending technology, too. Needless to say, this is potentially a major blow to Apple.