Apple vs. Motorola: patent infringement, antitrust accusations, and more – The Verge

Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility settle long-running patent lawsuit

2014-05-16T19:36:36-04:00

After years of duking it out in courts around the world, Apple and Google's Motorola Mobility group settled their long-running lawsuit today. In a filing, which was first spotted by Reuters, the two companies said they planned to dismiss all lawsuits against one another. However the pair did not agree to any cross-licensing patent agreement that would have signaled a larger peace between the two companies.

The spat between Apple and Motorola centered on smartphone patents, and dated back to 2010. One case involved Apple suing Motorola Mobility over infringing its patents, while a separate case involved Motorola accusing Apple of infringing …

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Apple’s patent case against Motorola revived by appellate court

2013-08-07T14:56:43-04:00

iphone 4, motorola f3

Though Apple's legal battles with Samsung have taken up most of the spotlight for patent infringement cases for the past year, Apple has been in a similar legal fight with Google's Motorola over alleged infringements. Back in March of last year, the International Trade Commission ruled that Motorola's devices did not infringe upon Apple's patents related to multitouch technology on smartphones, and then terminated any further investigation into the matter. But Apple appealed the ITC's decision, and this time, things came down in Apple's favor.

In a decision issued today, the Federal Circuit appeals court disagreed with the ITC on two things …

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Apple and Google patent dispute has no end in sight, judge says

2013-04-11T13:32:03-04:00

Gavel

Apple and Google's ongoing, multi-venue, litigation war over mobile patents has "no end" in sight, according to a US district court judge in Miami, Florida, who excoriated both companies for using their lawsuits as "business strategy," in an order issued yesterday. "The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute; they instead are using this and similar litigation worldwide as a business strategy that appears to have no end," wrote Judge Robert Scola. "That is not a proper use of this court." He also accused both of "obstreperous and cantankerous conduct."

"obstreperous and cantankerous conduct."

The jud …

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Judge rules that Samsung did not infringe Apple patents willfully

2013-01-29T22:27:27-05:00

Samsung logo

Tonight one of the big outstanding issues in the Apple vs. Samsung case came to a close when Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Samsung's infringement of Apple patents was not in fact willful. At issue are the seven design and utility patents that the jury found Samsung had infringed in a $1.049 billion win for Apple last August. The jury had decided that Samsung's infringement in five of the instances had in fact been willful - a finding that could have led to a ballooning of the damages Samsung would be instructed to pay. As part of the post-verdict proceedings, Samsung's legal team asked Koh to consider whether this should be challenged. Judge Koh …

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Eric Schmidt says it’s ‘extremely curious’ that Apple lawsuits don’t target Google directly

2012-12-05T02:56:41-05:00

eric schmidt stock

If you've been left a little nonplussed by Apple's lawsuits against Android hardware manufacturers, Google chairman Eric Schmidt is wondering the same thing. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schmidt said it's "extremely curious that Apple has chosen to sue Google's partners and not Google itself." Apple recently settled its patent disputes with HTC out of court, and most famously won a protracted legal battle against Samsung earlier this year.

However, it's not too hard to see Apple's motivations. Samsung is the company making the most money directly from Android with its hugely successful line of products, many of which were f …

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Motorola drops latest ITC patent infringement claims against Apple

2012-10-02T14:36:49-04:00

Motorola logo

Back in August Motorola filed a new round of patent infringement claims against Apple with the US International Trade Commission, seeking an import ban on the iPhone and the iPad - but in a recent filing the company mysteriously withdrew the complaints. It's unclear just what led Google-owned Motorola to make the move; normally we'd expect this type of withdrawal if a settlement was near, but in the filing itself Motorola specifically states that "There are no agreements between Motorola and Apple, written or oral, express or implied, concerning the subject matter of this investigation."

Whether the move is indicative of concerns Motorola h …

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Samsung: today’s verdict ‘a loss for the American consumer’

2012-08-24T20:16:33-04:00

Samsung logo

Samsung has already issued a statement commenting on its devastating loss in its legal tussle with Apple. The company pulls no punches, calling back to the stirring language it used in its closing arguments. We're reproducing it in its entirety below.

Today's verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the …

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Motorola files new patent case against Apple with ITC, wants import ban on iPhone and iPad (updated)

2012-08-17T19:47:20-04:00

Motorola logo

The patent battle continues anew between Apple and Motorola this week with the Google subsidiary filing a fresh patent case with the US International Trade Commission today. Details of the claims aren't yet available, but The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Motorola is alleging that Cupertino is in violation of seven patents - none of which are considered standards-essential (that is, Motorola is under no obligation to license the patents under FRAND terms). Motorola says that Apple has shown "unwillingness" to work on a licensing scheme for the IP that it says affects the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and it's asking for the ITC to le …

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German Court rejects Apple’s claim that Motorola Xoom tablet infringes on iPad design

2012-07-17T13:21:03-04:00

Xoom Tablet

While Apple has had some success enforcing its iPad design patent rights against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices around the world, it's beginning to look like other tablet designs are increasingly more likely to avoid the same misfortune. Dow Jones is reporting that the Dusseldorf Regional Court in Germany today rejected claims that Motorola's Xoom tablet infringes Apple's European design registration on the iPad. The same court ruled earlier this year that the redesigned Galaxy Tab 10.1N similarly escaped the reach of Apple's infringement assertions.

Today's decision isn't terribly surprising considering the real-world limitations on App …

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In wake of Apple v. Motorola, Judge Posner speaks: ‘it’s not clear that we really need patents in most industries’

2012-07-05T16:34:20-04:00

uscourt3

When Richard Posner, a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, senior lecturer for the University of Chicago Law School, and author of dozens of books on jurisprudence and economics says that "it's not clear that we really need patents in most industries," that's a big deal. During his talk with Reuters, he spoke about his recent dismissal of the Apple v. Motorola case and his stance on patent law.

Posner doesn't blame these companies for trying to compete in the courtroom - he says they are simply using every available opportunity to secure dominance in an industry and maximize shareholder value. The problem arises when pate …

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