The Hits Keep Coming for Apple!

Apple has made it a point to strike back against its Android rivals recently with the biggest blow being against Samsung. The Samsung 10" Galaxy Tab has been blocked from being sold in Europe due to a court filing by Apple in German courts. This filing was not without controversy. A Dutch website soon reveled that Apple may have falsified the sizes of the Galaxy Tab in the court filing to make it appear closer to the size of the Ipad. This would mislead the judge to believe that Samsung may have ripped off the Apple design, hence the tablet blockade. It seems Apple just hasnt learned their lesson!

Apple=Dimensions Troll???

Once again the Dutch website Webwereld has released pictures of the Apple filing with the dimensions of a Samsung device not matching real world specs. Apple as filed to have sales of Samsung Galaxy S phones stopped and in the documents the Iphone is pictured side by side with the Galaxy S. If you look at the picture something might strike you as funny. Yes both of these phones are the same size in the picture. In real life however the Galaxy S has a 4" screen compared to the iphone's 3.5. The Galaxy S is also 7mm taller and 2mm wider then the iphone. Yet somehow in Apple's pictures they are exactly the same. Also one more thing to point out, the Iphone is shown with its homescreen while the Galaxy S is shown with its app drawer open. This once again makes the phones look more similar then they are. If this leak is correct Apple is filing misleading documents to get a leg up against competitors. Using patents to slow up other companies is one thing but this should really get Sammy fired up. Stay tuned for who strikes the next blow in this heavyweight bout!!

JKeene

AndroREV Writer

http://www.facebook.com/AndroREV

Rotten Apple?? Jobs And Company Lie Through Their Teeth

Has Apple changed Court Documents to Shut Down sales of Galaxy Tab??

We have been covering the case of Apple and its patent war against Samsung on our site here. Now a Dutch site Webwereld has potentially uncovered evidence that may blow this case wide open!

The whole case against the Galaxy Tab rides on the fact that Apple claims Samsung has copied their ipad 2 design. In German court this allows the plaintiff in the case to hold up sales until a hearing has taken place without the defendant even knowing about the case filing. The evidence that Webwereld has unveiled is that Apple's lawyers have changed the dimensions of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in court filings in order to make it seem more identical in shape to the ipad. In the papers submitted the Galaxy Tab's aspect ratio is listed as 1.36 which is very similar to the Ipads 1.30. However in reality the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is much narrower with a aspect ratio of 1.46. This means a difference of 8% and would make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 look much wider then it actually is. If this evidence is true that Apple and its legal team will have some serious questions to answer and Sammy may have just caught a serious break!!

Jkeene

AndroREV

The Revolution will NOT be Televised!

Motorola Patent Portfolio vs The World??!!

I just wrote a piece on the Apple Vs Samsung patent debacle yesterday and mentioned that Apple was now pursuing an injuction against Motorola over the Xoom tablet. Apple is seeking to have sales of the Xoom halted due to patent violations. Apple has come on strong against Android products and it was only a matter of time before Motorola was in the crosshairs. Moto is seem is definitely not defenseless in this matter however.

Motorola has been around since 1928 and has been a major player in the cell phone world since it pioneered the flip phone with StarTAC in the mid 1990's. Over all that time the company has acquired an extensive patent portfolio. Sanjay Jha the chairman and CEO of Motorola's Mobility division hinted to the size of this portfolio during a financial conference on Thursday. Jha hinted to both the amount patents they possess the lack of fear at using them during his talk,

"I would bring up IP as a very important for differentiation (among Android vendors). We have a very large IP portfolio, and I think in the long term, as things settle down, you will see a meaningful difference in positions of many different Android players. Both, in terms of avoidance of royalties, as well as potentially being able to collect royalties. And that will make a big difference to people who have very strong IP positions."

Motorola has shown before that they are not afraid to go after other companies over patent issues and this Patent portfolio they possess may just be their secret weapon. Microsoft has been suing Android phone manufacturers systematically and winning alot of money( ask HTC how much of every Android phone they sell goes to Microsoft!). Moto is not only not giving in to Microsoft but fighting back and the sheer amount of patents it has in its arsenal may just be the tipping point here. However if you sit back and really read the quote above it seems to allude to Motorola being ready willing and able to take a look at fellow Android manufacturers too. Maybe the best defense is a good offense? It could be that Jha wants everyone out there eying a patent war with Motorola to know that it could very well end up paying Moto themselves(much like Apple is now paying Nokia after losing in court earlier this year). Here's to hoping some preventive medicine is enough to prevent an Android vs Android patent war.

Picture- Sam Spratt/Gizmodo

A Patent Troll Named Apple

Apple Successfully Blocks Sales of Samsung Galaxy Tab in Europe.

Apple has always been a company that is not afraid to go after anyone they feel is infringing on their products. However recent actions have put the entire electronics world on edge. Between January 2008 and May 2010 Apple filed 350 cases with the US Trademark office alone. They sued HTC in 2010 for 20 patent infringements, Amazon in 2011 for the use of the term "App Store", even New York City in 2008 for attempting to file a trademark for a "stylized apple logo". Now its Samsung's turn.

The Apple vs. Samsung battle began in April of this year when Apple filed a complaint that a range of Samsung products from the Nexus S to the Galaxy Tab copied the shapes and designs of Apple products. This was of course followed swiftly by a countersuit from Samsung. Over the next few months litigation has been traded back and forth between the two technology giants. Earlier in the week Apple struck a major blow by getting a German court to block sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 to the ENTIRE continent of Europe with the exception of the Netherlands, all without Samsung defending itself. In Germany a plaintiff must only prove that an infringement occured to begin an injunction, with no requirement to inform the other party so Sammy woke up to find itself behind the 8-Ball. Samsung is now not allowed to import any more Galaxy Tabs into Europe or it will face fines of $350,000 and the imprisonment of its management team! Samsung quickly responded in its defense:

"Samsung is disappointed with the court’s decision and we intend to act immediately to defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world. The request for injunction was filed with no notice to Samsung, and the order was issued without any hearing or presentation of evidence from Samsung.

We will take all necessary measures to ensure Samsung’s innovative mobile communications devices are available to customers in Europe and around the world. This decision by the court in Germany in no way influences other legal proceedings filed with the courts in Europe and elsewhere."

I for one understand Apple's need to defend its products. Mobile electronics is a fast moving and cut throat field, a company needs to defend their technology. However this might be a case of biting the hand that feeds you, Apple procures screens, electronic componants, and memory from Samsung. Yes they are suing the company that makes the parts for the devices Apple sells. Patents were invented to keep other companies from stealing technology and ideas not to be used to slow down competitors and waste time and energy in useless court proceedings. I am sure this is not the last we have heard from this battle and whether or not this ruling will affect sales of the Galaxy Tab in other areas of the world is not known yet. What is known is Apple is now moving on to other competitors, namely Motorola and their Xoom tablet. At this rate every company that makes a square shaped mobile device with a touch screen had better watch their back, Apple is coming for you!

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Pulled Across Europe

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has been pulled in every European country except the Netherlands. The ban from  Marketing the Tablet has come after the Regional Court of Dusseldorf in Germany found that Sammy had indeed violated Apple's patents and infringed on the design of the Apple ipad 2. The bad news for Samsung is that it only takes one European court to find in favor of Apple for the ruling to apply all across that continent. It has also been reported that Samsung will have to pay heavy fines in the amount of 220,000 Euros for each violation. With that kind of bread on the table you can expect Samsung to be fast about the appeals process.


Is this just the next step in the ongoing dispute between Apple and Google's Open Handset Alliance partners. Keep in mind that this battle is really beginning to heat up in the handset arena as well with suits and counter suits galore. What do you guys think? When will this thing end and isn't it that Apple is just upset their latest innovations are being trumped by Google's partners. I for one think they are wrong to fight this battle in court but should fight in retailers like Best Buy where they are losing the battle. They should innovate not litigate. More to come on this subject. 


Excelsior
Kidromulous