HTC has since lodged some additional patent infringement complaints with the International Trade Commission, but an ITC judge has now ruled on HTC’s first complaint against Apple from back in May of 2010, finding no violation of the patents in question on the part of Apple. As FOSS Patents notes, however, the ruling hardly puts an end to the dispute between the two companies, and HTC certainly seems to be in it for the long haul. Its general counsel told CNET that “this is only one step of many in these legal proceedings,” and that, “we are confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals process and are fully prepared to protect our intellectual property.”

ITC judge says Apple did not infringe on HTC’s patents in initial case, more rulings still to come originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seems like we can’t go a week without another patent infringement lawsuit being filed, and this one’s no different. Apparently, VIA Technologies, maker of fine computational processors, is mad as hell with Apple’s allegedly infringing ways, and it’s not gonna take it anymore. Filed in the US District Court in Delaware, VIA claims that Cupertino’s iThings and Apple TVs infringe patent numbers 6,253,312, 6,253,311 and 6,754,810, which cover various microprocessor functions. A complaint’s also been lodged with the ITC — in order to hasten the settlement talks, no doubt. So, all that’s left is the countdown until these two shake hands, exchange checks and go on about their business… preferably outside the courtroom.

VIA Technologies sues Apple for patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Add one more to the tally of patent lawsuits involving Apple and RIM. This time it’s Openwave Systems using the license-by-litigation technique, and it’s alleging that multiple devices infringe five of its patents on mobile internet — including offline email access, cloud computing, and secure server access. The company claims that Apple’s iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, the iPod Touch, both iPads, plus RIM’s Blackberry Curve 9930 and the PlayBook all infringe its IP. Apparently, Openwave initially took the pacifist route to persuade Cupertino and Waterloo to pay up, but when its overtures were ignored, it decided upon more aggressive tactics. As others before it, Openwave wants to fight a two front war in the ITC and federal court, but we’ll have to wait and see if the ITC elects to take up the cause. Armchair attorneys can get a gander at all the juicy details at the source below.

Openwave sues Apple and RIM for patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG, Sony drop patent infringement lawsuits, strike cross-licensing agreement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s facing yet another patent infringement lawsuit — this time, in Florida, where a company called Operating Systems Solutions (OSS) is taking aim at OS X’s fast booting operation. According to court documents, the plaintiff alleges that Cupertino’s function (most prominently displayed on this year’s MacBook Air refresh) violates at least one protected claim, which details a four-step method for speedy booting, and involves files like config.sys and autoexec.bat (seriously). Interestingly enough, the patent in question was originally granted to LG Electronics, back in 2002, but is currently owned by the little-known OSS. It’s still unclear whether or not LG has any involvement with the suit, but we’ll bring you the details as soon as they emerge. In the meantime, you can hit the coverage link below to dig in to the full complaint.

[Thanks, Lucian]

Apple faces infringement lawsuit over fast booting patent once owned by LG originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nothing like a little legalese to take the edge off on a Monday, eh? Just months after Apple smacked HTC with an ITC complaint, it looks as if the company’s doing the same thing again. As if one ongoing ITC complaint against Samsung wasn’t enough, the US International Trade Commission is reporting that HTC is being accused again. As predicted, the patent infringement complaint is asking for the entity to block the import of “personal electronic devices” by HTC, but until it becomes available for public viewing, it’s hard to know exactly which device(s) ticked the lawyers in Cupertino off. As for the prior tiff? A judge is expected to rule on that August 5th, and those findings are then subject to review by the full commission. HTC’s not commenting yet given that even it hasn’t seen the details, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the drama unfolds.

Apple files second ITC patent infringement complaint against HTC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re seeing a heavy surge in Microsoft’s relentless pursuit of licensing deals in light of recent patent-infringement claims. Wistron Corp, a spinoff of Acer, is the latest company to make an agreement with Microsoft in a string of lawsuits and royalty clashes that’s spanned the course of two months. While we’ve seen Android suppliers such as Itronix and Velocity Micro come to agreements with the folks in Redmond, as well as others like Motorola and Barnes & Noble becoming courtroom fodder, this is the first time Chrome OS has been targeted. Wistron’s an ODM (original design manufacturer) that supplies other companies with computers, tablets and e-readers using either Google OS, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that it signed up for the Microsoft lawsuit prevention plan. Scant details are available aside from the fact that royalties will be collected as a result. Now that Chrome is involved, it not only shows that Team Ballmer isn’t backing down, it appears to have even more companies in its crosshairs — we just wonder who’s next on the list. Full (albeit brief) PR after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft and Wistron come to terms in royalty agreement, Android and Chrome OS now targeted

Microsoft and Wistron come to terms in royalty agreement, Android and Chrome OS now targeted originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in April, Samsung slapped back at Apple’s claims of patent infringement with a healthy helping of ten claims of its own. Now Bloomberg is reporting that Samsung quietly dropped its counter suit against the Cupertino-based company on June 30th, in an attempt “to streamline the legal proceedings.” Of course that doesn’t mean the saga is over: Apple’s smartphone infringement accusations stand, as do legal battles in South Korea, Japan, Germany, and the UK Samsung says it will also continue to fight Apple’s accusations in the US in the form of a counter-claim. One down, one to go?

Samsung drops counter suit against Apple — Apple’s still got a bone to pick originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kodak scored a small victory this week in its International Trade Commission (ITC) case against Apple and RIM for their devices’ infringement of Kodak’s patent on picture previews. Back in January, an ITC administrative law judge (ALJ) made an initial determination that the patent was invalid and that iPhones and Blackberrys don’t infringe Kodak’s IP. After reviewing the decision per the parties’ request, the Commission changed a few of the ALJ’s patent claim interpretations and remanded the case for fresh analysis regarding both infringement and validity. Kodak, naturally, is painting the remand as a victory, even going so far as issuing a celebratory press release. Such swagger seems a bit premature, however, as the judge could once again find in favor of the crowds from Cupertino and Waterloo. The next Kodak moment isn’t until August 30th, when the ALJ is due to render his ruling. Stay tuned.

Brian Heater contributed to this post.

Kodak granted reprieve in its ITC battle with Apple and RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you sick of hearing from Lodsys? We know devs are, but the rather outspoken patent troll is at it again, hitting the blog to defend its good name. Hidden among today’s posts is an announcement that the firm is taking the next steps with its accusations, filing a lawsuit against some of the developers it previously targeted and, get this, blaming Apple. It explains: “Lodsys chose to move its litigation timing to an earlier date than originally planned, in response to Apple’s threat, in order to preserve its legal options.” We’re not sure which developers are targeted by this suit, specifically, but the firm has promised a $1,000 payment to each dev, “if it turns out that the scope of Apple’s existing license rights apply to fully license you with respect to our claim relating to your App on Apple iOS.” Devs may be tempted to spend that promised gift on a well-deserved vacation (or a WWDC conference pass), but with layers of LLCs protecting the man behind the curtain at Lodsys, we wouldn’t be surprised it the firm disappeared before anyone sees a cent (or 99) of payment. Unfortunately, it appears that the saga continues, so if you’ve had enough of the patent troll, feel free to enjoy the rest of our content, Lodsys free.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Update: We’ve been told that the list of devs named in the lawsuit include: Combay, Iconfactory, Illusion Labs, Shovelmate, Quickoffice, Richard Shinderman, and Wulven Game Studios.

Lodsys hits devs with lawsuit, $1,000 offer, and 1,000 words of eloquent prose originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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