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Tag: samsung v. apple

  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus Injunction Lifted by Court

    Samsung Galaxy Nexus Injunction Lifted by Court

    A federal U.S. Appeals Court this week threw out a lower court’s preliminary injunction that Apple won against the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Samsung had requested the injunction be lifted, though sales of the Galaxy Nexus were disrupted for only a week or so back in July of this year. Google was able to quickly modify the software on the phones to get around Apple’s patent claims.

    The injunction is part of a U.S. patent trial in which Apple and Samsung accuse each other of patent violations. Apple recently won a huge victory in a different U.S. patent trial, with Samsung ordered to hand over $1billion to Apple.

    The two continue to battle over patents in U.S. courts, though. Samsung recently added Apple’s new iPhone 5 to the list of Apple devices it says infringe on its wireless technology patents in a trial scheduled to take place in 2014.

    While these lawsuits would seem to be a hinderance to Samsung, the Korean company has actually been steadily capturing more of the smartphone market. Estimates now show that 25% of all smartphones in the U.S. are Samsungs, and the company has been consolidating its dominance of the Android handset market throughout 2012.

    Just this week, Samsung announced a mini version of its flagship Android device, the Galaxy S III. Combine this with rumors of a coming 10-inch Nexus tablet, and Samsung is on the road to becoming Apple’s main competitor in both the 10-inch tablet and smartphone markets.

  • iPhone 5 Added to Samsung vs. Apple Lawsuit

    iPhone 5 Added to Samsung vs. Apple Lawsuit

    According to Foss Patents, Samsung this week filed a case management statement with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California stating that it believes the iPhone 5 will infringe on 8 of its patents “in the same way as other accused iPhone models.” It also states that it plans to add the iPhone 5 to the list of Apple products it claims infringe on its patents as soon as it can get its hands on the smartphone and examine it.

    The document is actually a joint case management conference statement, showing the results of a pre-trial meeting between the judge in the case, Apple lawyers, and Samsung lawyers. Foss provided a screenshot of the portion of the statement in which Samsung announces its intentions to add the iPhone 5 to its claims. The statement reads:

    “Samsung anticipates that it will file, in the near future, a motion to amend its infringement contentions to add the iPhone 5 as an accused product. On September 12, 2012, Apple announced that it will release the iPhone 5 on September 21, 2012. Based on information currently available, Samsung expects that the iPhone 5 will infringe the asserted Samsung patents-in-suit in the same way as the other accused iPhone models. Samsung plans to file a motion to amend its infringement contentions to address the iPhone 5 as soon as it has had a reasonable opportunity to analyze the device.”

    This all pertains to a different lawsuit than the one that Apple won last month. According to Foss, the trial the statement is a part of is currently scheduled to begin in 2014.

    (via BGR)

  • Samsung Waiting to Sue Apple Over iPhone 5’s LTE

    Though Apple managed total victory in its U.S. patent lawsuit against Samsung, the most valuable company in history hasn’t fared quite so well in places such as Korea and Japan. Still, Apple is taking its win and running with it, requesting that many Samsung smartphones, including varieties of the Galaxy S II, be banned from sale in the U.S. A hearing is scheduled for December to determine if Apple will get its wish.

    It turns out Samsung may have a counterattack planned, though. An article in the Korea Times states that Samsung has confirmed its intention to “immediately sue Apple” if it decides to release an LTE device, which the upcoming iPhone 5 is expected to be. The Times points to Thomson-Reuters data that states Samsung owns around 12.2% of LTE patents. If Samsung can manage to find one of their LTE patents that the iPhone 5 infringes upon, it’s a near-certainty the company will ask for an injunction against Apple selling the smartphone in the U.S.

    If Samsung could actually convince a judge to issue a well-timed injunction, it would be quite a reposte. With a manufacturing delay for the smartphone’s LCD panels already guaranteeing a supply crunch on the iPhone 5’s launch day, an injunction would drop a bomb on the tech world’s biggest product launch of the year. It might also, however, turn out to be a good thing, as the attention and outrage such an event would cause could be enough to finally get some movement toward U.S. patent system reform.

    (via BGR)

  • Apple Requests Samsung Product Bans Following Verdict

    Apple is wasting no time taking advantage of its big court victory against Samsung last week. Having read through the verdict, Apple has now released a list of 8 Samsung devices it says it wants banned from being sold in the U.S. Bloomberg is reporting that a court filing by Apple requests that Judge Lucy Koh, who oversaw the Apple vs. Samsung trial, to ban the following devices:

    • Galaxy S II 4G
    • Galaxy S II (AT&T)
    • Galaxy S II (T-Mobile)
    • Galaxy S II Epic 4G (Sprint)
    • Galaxy S II Skyrocket
    • Galaxy S Showcase
    • Droid Charge
    • Galaxy Prevail

    While some of these devices would be hard to find on U.S. store shelves anyway, the Galaxy S II has been among Samsung’s best-selling smartphones. A ban on the Galaxy S II could be costly for the company. An injunction hearing on September 20th will be held to determine which products, if any, should be banned.

    The verdict had a predictable effect on both Apple and Samsung’s stock prices, sending Samsung’s market value plummeting. News of actual product bans, not just the fear of bans by investors, would no doubt harm Samsung’s stock prices even more. Still, the entire endeavor may end up having been worth it for Samsung, which over the past year has begun to consolidate the Android smartphone market and is now is a real position to compete with Apple.

    Since the jury in last week’s trial returned a verdict of $1.049 billion against Samsung for violating Apple patents, both companies have issued their take on the verdict. Apple has declared itself a victim of its own brilliant design and innovation, while Samsung has lamented the state of U.S. patent law and the stifling of competition they believe the verdict represents. Meanwhile, Google has been rather dismissive with regard to the case, stating that the verdict doesn’t affect its core Android operating system, and that some of the Apple patents are being re-examined by the U.S. Patent Office anyway.

  • Apple vs. Samsung Verdict: Google’s Response

    Apple vs. Samsung Verdict: Google’s Response

    This weekend’s $1.049 billion reward to Apple in the Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit was a definitive statement from the jury both that Apple’s patents are fully valid, and that Samsung is guilty of violating them. Samsung and Apple have issued responses to the verdict, but one party widely considered to be the real target of the lawsuit has only just weighed in.

    Google this week issued a statement about the case, saying that, basically, it won’t stop developing Android over fear that it might infringe Apple patents. The statement was made to The Verge, and it insinuates that the Samsung verdict has little to do with the Android OS:

    The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don’t relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players — including newcomers — are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don’t want anything to limit that.

    It’s clear that Google believes at least some of Apple’s patents are not valid, and that the ruling against Samsung will change in the appeals process.

    For their parts, Apple and Samsung’s responses were predictable. Samsung lamented the patent laws of the U.S. and how they can be used to stifle competition. Apple took the high road, though it still managed to twist the knife a bit. An Apple spokesperson framed the verdict as about Apple’s “values” of originality and innovation, rather than patents.

    Even if this verdict withstands the appeals process, its likely that Samsung might consider the expense of the trial and verdict worth it. Over the past year, Samsung has managed to emerge as the foremost Android handset manufacturer – and Apple’s largest competitor.

  • Guild Wars 2 Launches This Weekend

    Guild Wars 2 Launches This Weekend

    Guild Wars 2, the next highly-anticipated MMO is set to launch next Tuesday, but players who pre-purchased the game will get access starting Saturday, August 25. Since nearly everyone who is looking forward to Guild Wars 2 has pre-purchased a copy, that means the action really begins tomorrow.

    “Five years ago we set out to develop a game that finally fulfilled the promise of online worlds,” said Mike O’Brien, president and co-founder of ArenaNet. “We questioned everything that had previously been taken for granted and we never settled for ‘good enough.’ Now, we’re finally ready to introduce Guild Wars 2 to gamers who are looking for the next evolution in online gaming.”

    ArenaNet is highlighting several features that it hopes will set Guild Wars 2 apart from other MMOs. It states that dynamic world events and personal stories will customize a play experience for each character created. The “action-oriented combat” of Guild Wars 2 is promoted as an enhancement to normal MMO player-versus-player (PVP) interactions. In addition to normal PVP, the game will feature a world-versus-world experience that pits entire servers against each other in two-week-long wars.

    “Guild Wars 2 is launching at a time when players are looking for something different in an MMO: a game that offers them an innovative and unique experience without a monthly subscription,” said O’Brien. “Guild Wars 2 is that game, and we believe it will fundamentally change the way people think about online RPGs.”

    O’Brien is confident that Guild Wars 2 will be a success, and that confidence might be justified. Launching as a free-to-play MMO means Guild Wars 2 was designed with that business plan in mind. Where other recent MMOs have had to adapt to the changing MMO market and experiment with half-breed subscription/free-to-play plans, the clear free-to-play vision of Guild Wars 2 should make it a strong contender in what is becoming a highly competitive MMO gaming market.

  • Apple vs. Samsung Judge Urges Settlement

    Apple vs. Samsung Judge Urges Settlement

    The judge presiding over the Apple vs. Samsung patent war trial today urged both companies to make one last effort to settle the matter before a verdict is handed down in the case.

    According to an All Things D report, Judge Lucy Koh stated that she sees risk for both Apple and Samsung if the jury reaches a verdict. She cheekily commented that if the companies were simply showing off their tablet and smartphone patents, then the message had been delivered. All Things D quotes Koh as saying, “It’s time for peace.”

    The two companies have agreed to a telephone meeting, but nothing more. Samsung and Apple already met once this year to try and settle the matter out-of-court, but were unable to come to an agreement.

    The Apple vs. Samsung legal battle began over one year ago, when Apple sued Samsung for violating its patents. Apple claims Samsung’s Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet violate Apple design patents for the iPhone and iPad. Samsung promptly countersued, claiming Apple violates its patents on some wireless technologies.

    The lawsuits have created some truly bizarre moments, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 being banned from sale in the U.S. and Apple being ordered to place ads stating that the Galaxy Tab isn’t a direct rip-off of the iPad. Meanwhile, both companies have been rapidly consolidating the smartphone market.

    During the trial this week, Samsung argued that the patents Apple is claiming it violated are invalid, due to tablet designs that existed before Apple applied for its patents. All Things D reports that closing arguments for the trial are scheduled for next Tuesday. The trial could lead to large fines for both companies or could lead to a number of each company’s patents being declared invalid.

  • The Apple / Samsung Girl

    The little girl is referred to as “Little Miss Tablet”, and although I can’t find her name, I am certain that she has made a significant mark in advertising history. I can’t recall anything like this having happened before.

    I asked myself how I would feel given the following: What if Pepsi started parading around with a polar bear on its can? What if Jared were seen eating another sandwich? What if Justin Bieber started starring in acne-fighting infomercials by a brand other than Proactiv?

    I’ll tell you how I’d feel. Like there was something dirty about it. And I am not emotionally attached to any of those products. I do not feel partial to either of the brands involved in this particular rivalry either; however, I feel that the lack of commitment from this little girl is somehow pure. After all, what is really wrong with not being married to a particular brand? Why should we not celebrate our right to buy whatever we want and not feel dirty about it?