Verizon wants Obama to curtail potential patent war damages

Legal

Verizon Communications’ chief counsel Randal Milch wants United States President Barack Obama to limit potential damages relating to the ongoing patent wars sweeping technology companies in the U.S. As the number of patent complaints among major handset vendors around the world continues to grow, several companies have turned to the U.S. International Trade Commission in an effort to have the import and sale of alleged infringing products blocked. Milch recently circulated a chart showing all of the devices that may be banned in the U.S. due to patent complaints seeking injunctions, including the iPhone and several Android tablets, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Instead, the lawyer thinks President Obama should issue a blanket statement declaring that he will overturn any ruling that would block the importation or sale of wireless devices in the U.S. Verizon believes vendors found to be infringing on patents should only be forced to pay royalties to the relevant patent owners.

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67 Comments
  • Anonymous

    Apple is getting out of hand

    • iF*ckinHateLawyers

      Getting??

    • Anonymous

      ì just got an iPad 2 (32G) for $ 23.87 and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $ 657 which only cost me $ 62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/b0tD

      • Anonymous

        How does your girlfriend (your left hand) love her camera if it hasn’t arrived yet??

    • Anonymous

      Your comment makes no sense

    • Anonymous

      Agreed..but Samsung is really the only one blatantly copying the iphone/ipad.  They should be stopped

      • Anonymous

        lmao at blatantly.. what using colored tiles behind app icons? that isn’t even the issue in ANY suit.. and my samsung phone has had a drop down notfication bar before any idevice..

      • http://twitter.com/gnomehole The Gnome

        lmao at your stupidity.  Fail.

      • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

        Forget it Celz, the isheep don’t get it.  Nice seeing how apple unethically photoshopped evidence for the court.  

      • Anonymous

        Well if you hold the Galaxy 10.1 tab a certain way, outside, when the sun is 40 degrees above the horizon, while you’re bent over, then yeah totally looks like an Ipad.

  • Anonymous

    Damn Verizon sounds worried LMAO

    • Anonymous

      Any carrier would be if it meant that they’ll have less selection to offer… which is what all this BS would boil down to if it got out of hand.

    • http://www.getintonursing.com/ Jon

      well they are selling Samsung Galaxy S devices. They are lines up to release Galaxy S II on August 8th. It’s sure to be a hot seller. So yeah, they are very worried if Apple succeeds in blocking the sale of Samsung Galaxy S devices in the US. 

      • Anonymous

        All Samsung has to do is change their photo app. The Galaxy line is not going to be blocked based on the latest Samsung vs. Apple fuckery.

    • Uncle C

      Because they have the most android devices of all the carriers. The patent suits aren’t real competition. It all needs to stop so the innovation can start.

  • http://www.sk1wbw.wordpress.com Wayne Williams

    What is the President going to do?  He can’t generate legislation can he?  He can’t wave his magic wand and stop things like this. 

    • http://www.getintonursing.com/ Jon

      the president has many tools under the executive branch that he can wield. As Verizon is asking, he can simply make an executive order that states that no products would be banned due to patent infringements, but they would still have to pay royalties. 

      I agree with Verizon here. Allowing for a product to be pulled off the market is the ultimate nuclear weapon a patent holder can drop. Without that heavy weaponry, they will have to settle for more reasonable royalty negotiations. 

    • Kurt

      In liberal land the president is to credit or blame for everything.

      • Anonymous

        conservative too.. 

      • Uncle C

        …mostly conservative.

      • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

        Oh please.  Conservatives still blame clinton for everything, due to CDS…clinton derangement syndrome.

        And don’t worry ol’Kurt, I can’t stand dems or reps but you and your opposites are screwing America up big time.  obamabot = bushbot

    • Uncle C

      Prezy might be on board. Congress is a complete clusterfuck waiting to happen. So on second thought… he better stay out of it.

  • Anonymous

    everyone is fighting everyone….the US needs to make $$$.  Stopping ANY device does not help the cause all.

  • Anonymous

    “Verizon believes vendors found to be infringing on patents should only be forced to pay royalties to the relevant patent owners.”Perfectly reasonable. Instand of BANNING products… shit is getting ridiculous

  • http://twitter.com/brianMedeiros Brian M

    This is out of hand, but what if i don’t want to collect royalties?
    Apple, and others, have gotten out of control. but is this the answer? If Obama had god like powers over the law, i would ask that he change the patent system. what V wants feels like it will fix today, but lead to other problems in the future.

    • Anonymous

      I agree. Patent law needs to be adjusted. It’s like the ridiculousness with monsanto and their seed patents putting honest hard working farmers out of business. They expect them to fight nature.

  • Anonymous

    Google, Samsung, Motorola, etc. stole Apple’s intellectual property. They don’t deserve a Presidential pardon.

    • ilostmypistons

      apple could also be banned as well they have stole as much as any company has and that is what I think Big Red is most worried about. Remember Moto patented the cell phone years ago 

      • Anonymous

        You do realize that patents don’t last forever? Who cares about cell phone patent over 25 years ago?

    • Moefernandez05

      How some people are so naive….

      • Anonymous

        True enough, you are.

      • Anonymous

        reread your ignorant comment then you will see he meant you

    • shankapotomus

      its funny to see how uninformed many ifans are. 

      • Anonymous

        I like how your comment stated a proper rebuttal instead of an infantile, smart-ass remark.

      • Anonymous

        Nothing smart ass. Just the central fact.

      • Anonymous

        Yes, I agree. You are truly uninformed.

    • Anonymous

      Interesting.  Could you be more specific?  What IP, exactly, did these companies steal?

      • Anonymous

        Before the iPhone all smart phones resembled a Blackberry or Windows Mobile phone (little tiny keyboard, small screen, near impossible web browsing, etc.). Apple brought the first usable touch keyboard, a large screen, and the great Safari web browser with pinch and zoom. Though there were a few apps for those older smart phones, they were difficult to find and install so they weren’t used much.

        Before the iPad there was nothing like it.

        The entire industry has been copying Apple. Android a a total rip-off. Samsung started the copy machine to design their phones and their tablet.

      • http://twitter.com/Absolute4Droid Absolute

        really? so question…

        should things advance in tech after one company makes a great leap? yes or no?

        if someone were to design something (taking things that exist now but implement them better) and change the game should their competitors be allowed to follow suit? Or should they stay behind? is that wise? is that competitive? is that good for the people? for the economy? Let’s be real now.

        Apple changed the game…good…doesn’t mean no one else should play.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

      oh please davesmall.  What flavor kool-aid is that you’re drinking??  Apple.

  • Scott

    I’m pretty sure the president has bigger fish to fry… like maybe their budget, jobs, economy… you know, things that really matter! 

    • Anonymous

      I’m pretty sure the cellular phone market is huge. That would fit in with the economy. As for budget, that’s over for now.

      • Scott

        It’s only “huge” because of the amount of money they dump into their pocketbooks (see AT&T proposal of Tmo)

      • Anonymous

        It doesn’t really matter why it’s huge. The point I’m making is that it would definitely hurt us if all of these various phones were banned.

    • Anonymous

      He shouldn’t be frying fish.  I think he has more important things to do.

  • http://profiles.google.com/pcman1911 melvin young

    republican congress would block it before it gets to the table

    • Williamsck1

      Depends on who is paying that fat check to them

    • Obaomobamabanana

      Republicans can’t block an executive order – they can only try to legislate around it.

      • Anonymous

        And the Senate would side with Obama anyway. If they didn’t, he would just veto it.

  • http://twitter.com/SirCatalyst Justin Vincible

    This would be “government interfering with businesses and the free market” which the GOP is squarely against. Although it may be a good idea, this would never go anywhere.

  • Anonymous

    I agree with the premise on this one. I mean, we hear Dr’s and the AMA crying for tort reform and limiting a Dr’s liability to $200K for loss of limb, death, etc. Why not enact a similar limited liability(royalties) for these patent disputes? I would rather have patent disputes be limited rather than personal injury…just my two cents.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jorge-Acosta/535374448 Jorge Acosta

    Agreed….

  • http://MobileGenius.wordpress.com JM

    This photo of the President seems a little darker than usual…thought it was worth a mention. Also, why post an uncharacteristically menacing photo of President Obama in a post related to what someone else wants him to do? Shouldn’t the photo be of Verizon Communications’ chief counsel instead?

    • Marc

      good point on the photo. it is pretty dark.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

      Are you serious?  Racebaiting????  My God.

      FYI – obama’s man axelrod knows allllll about ‘astroturfing’ and obama himself knows all about racebaiting as well (google huffington post obama memo on race).

      GTFO with that silliness.

      /not a republican, not a democrat but sick to death of dumb ass stuff like this

  • zukidrvr

    The President can suggest legislation. Congress has to pass it before he can sign it. Good luck.

  • Uncle C

    Obama should really get involved. This might be one issue that the tea party can’t hop all over him for.

    • Anonymous

      they’ll hop all over him for anything. doesn’t matter what it is

  • http://twitter.com/elleryfamilia Ellery Familia

    The only reason Verizon is saying this is because they’ve made massive profits from Android sales and wants to make sure those profits don’t stop flowing in. They could care less if IP is being stolen.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

      And either could you unless your cult leader tells you so.

  • http://twitter.com/gnomehole The Gnome

    Maybe Obama can spend more government money on this problem…  perhaps a patent stimulus package!  Yes, thats it… go for it.

    Its not Apple getting out of hand, its the copy-cat companies not innovating on their own.  

    Fix the patent system, but also don’t buy from companies that can’t be original.

    • Justin

      That was the most ignorant comment I’ve seen today. Thanks for sharing!

  • Guest

    I have a solution. STOP stealing/encroaching patent(s) and start Innovate your own ideas/patent.
    This will ensure the end of patent wars.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

      In that case, no company would ever get anywhere at all.

      Steve Jobs, 1996: “Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal”

      /also, you’re a dumb ass and have no idea what you’re talking about. Unless you have a law degree and specialize in patent law, STFU.

  • Anonymous

    It all started with APPLE. Apple think their top dog and doesn’t want anyone stealing their technology.

  • http://www.squidoo.com/best-laptop-under-400 Anna W. Mize

    now the patent issue  is rising as more gadgets coming to market leads to vulnerable of patent issue from the makers.

  • Anonymous

    That would be a wise choice, but not nearly as wise as telling the USPO to go back, review all those patent,s and just invalidate a;l of those stupidly vague look and feel patents.

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