Patent trolls — that is, entities that purchase patents in bulk and sue other companies for infringement despite not making any products of their own — have rapidly become the bane of the technology industry. But few could have imagined that patent trolling would cost companies a whopping $29 billion a year in expenses, as a …
Anonymous trolls in the United Kingdom may have to think twice before calling someone a “n00b” or “teh sux0r” online. That’s because the U.K. House of Commons this week will start a debate on reforms to British libel law that will provide incentives for Internet Service Providers to reveal the identities of online posters accused …
Facebook on Thursday acquired 750 patents from IBM in an effort to boost the company’s defense and counter new lawsuits, according to Bloomberg. The patents reportedly cover various technologies relating to software and networking. The acquisition would more than double the size of Facebook’s portfolio, which currently includes at least 56 issued patents and 503 filed …
Apple is currently locked in dozens of lawsuits around the world with various Android vendors, but the Cupertino-based company is apparently willing to negotiate terms that would end a number of its outstanding spats. According to sources speaking with Dow Jones Newswires, Apple has proposed settlements to at least two Android smartphone vendors. Under the …
A German court has thrown out a third lawsuit Samsung recently filed against Apple regarding a 3G patent, along with one of two slide-to-unlock suits Apple filed against Samsung, FOSS Patents reported on Friday. Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court ruled that Samsung’s standard-essential patent covers a method of computing a certain mathematical …
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was no stranger to legal battles involving the patent system. Apple is currently waging war on a number of Android vendors and the company’s former CEO vowed to crush Google’s mobile platform before his untimely passing last year. “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will …
Apple has been cleared of infringing an Apple patent in one of more than 30 ongoing patent complaints Samsung and Apple currently have filed against each other around the world. Judge Andreas Voss of Germany’s Mannheim Regional Court on Friday ruled that the Cupertino, California-based company’s mobile devices do not infringe on a Samsung-owned patent pertaining to …
Apple has filed a new complaint targeting 10 Samsung smartphones that allegedly infringe the Cupertino-based company’s design patents. The suit was filed in the Dusseldorf Regional Court, with Apple also filing a separate suit citing five Samsung tablet models. Last month, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab 10.1N that featured a new bezel and a slightly modified design. …
Kodak is going through a financial nightmare, with reports claiming the camera company is preparing to file for bankruptcy. In what seems like a last effort to license the company’s patents, Kodak has filed patent lawsuits against HTC and Apple. Kodak claims that both smartphone manufacturers are infringing upon some of the company’s digital imaging patents. The complaint …
A Samsung executive has gone on record in stating that the South Korea-based electronics giant plans to take a more active role in combating Apple in the companies’ ongoing war. “We’ll be pursuing our rights for this in a more aggressive way from now on,” Lee Younghee, head of global marketing for mobile communications, told …
