Lawsuit

Apple drops permanent injunction quest in Samsung lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ July 29, 2014

Apple filed a motion with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in California yesterday, dropping its cross-appeal of Judge Lucy Koh's final judgement in its lawsuit against Samsung. The motion officially ends the company's pursuit of a product ban.

Now, this is just for the 2012 trial, not the one that ended in May. Apple had been looking to win a permanent injunction against all of Samsung's infringing devices in that case, and filed multiple appeals, but it appears to have given up on this particular battle...

EU officials upset as Apple remains mum on proposed IAP policy changes

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2014

In-App Purchase, a way overused feature which provides a way for supposedly free games and apps to ask users for cash in order to enable advanced features or unlock virtual items, is increasingly drawing ire of regulators across the globe.

In-App Purchases are notorious for fooling less-informed adults and kids into downloading so-called freemium apps so it's no wonder the European Union officials have repeatedly warned that companies like Apple and Google should stop labeling free-to-download apps that contain In-App Purchases as "Free".

Companies could soon be forced to make the “true cost of apps” unambiguously clear before purchase, according to a complaint the European Commission filed today...

Apple agrees to pay $450 million to settle e-book price fixing case

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 16, 2014

Reuters is reporting today that Apple has agreed to pay $450 million to settle its long-standing e-book price fixing federal court case with class action lawyers and state district attorneys.

As a reminder, the government alleged that Apple conspired along with five major U.S. publishers to fix e-book prices to the detriment of consumers, denying them the choice of price, while stifling competition.

$400 million of the $450 million will cover damage to consumers, with the remaining $50 million earmarked for recovery if liability must be retried...

Apple wins lawsuit against Emblaze over live video streaming patent

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

In a verdict handed down late yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple defeated a lawsuit brought on by Emblaze Ltd. The company claimed that the iPhone-maker infringed on one of its patents.

More specifically, Emblaze accused Apple of infringing on its live video streaming patent, with its HTTP live-streaming service (HLS) that it asks 3rd-party apps like MLB at Bat and WatchESPN to use. But the trial's jury found otherwise...

Beijing ruling spells trouble for Apple’s Siri in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 9, 2014

Apple's ability to use Siri as a competitive weapon in the 1.33 billion people market of China - its second-largest market by revenue - could be compromised. A Beijing court has now ruled against Apple by upholding the validity of a patent related to the personal assistant feature held by a Chinese company called Zhizhen Network Technology.

The ruling clears the way for Zhizhen to continue its own case patent infringement case against Apple. Specifically, the Shanghai-based firm is now asking the court to block Apple from selling devices with Siri installed. The iPhone maker is of course expected to appeal the verdict...

Apple reaches settlement in $840 million e-books antitrust lawsuit

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 17, 2014

Apple has settled with U.S. states and consumers that were seeking damages for alleged price fixing on e-books, protecting itself from a trial where it could have faced up to $840 million in claims. Bloomberg was first to report on the news, claiming that a trial had been set for July after Apple was found to be conspiring with book publishers to raise e-book prices as part of an illegal scheme…

Italian watchdog to Apple: respond to In-App Purchase allegations or else…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Italy's Antitrust and Competition Authority is probing Apple, Google, Amazon and Gameloft over accusations that these companies are intentionally misleading consumers who download freemium smartphone and tablets apps without realizing In-App Purchases are needed to unlock more features.

According to a new report, Italian investigators have asked Apple and others to submit their defense within the next twenty days or face a fine of up to €5 million each (about $6.84 million), although the punishment would be proportional to each company's size...

Dutch court upholds sales ban of older Samsung Galaxy devices

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2014

Recode reports that a Dutch appeals court has upheld a lower court's sales ban of some older Samsung Galaxy devices that infringe on Apple's IP. The patent in question involves how iOS users are able to peak at the next photo in a gallery by swiping the current image.

The ruling will apply specifically to the Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Ace—both of which include Samsung photo apps that run an exact copy of the feature—and it could possibly be extended to other Samsung devices found to similarly infringe on Apple's European patent...

Settlement talks stall as Samsung calls Apple a ‘jihadist’ and the trial ‘Apple’s Vietnam’

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 20, 2014

The Korea Times reported yesterday that Apple and Samsung were negotiating an out of court settlement that would potentially put an end to the long standing legal drama. Less than 24 hours later, lawyers for both companies have told a California court that they've been unable to resolve their differences and reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

And as settlement talks dissolve without an agreement in sight, a court-mandated update on these discussions has revealed how mistrustful the two parties have grown of each other. According to Samsung's top lawyer who referred to Apple as a "jihadist," the trial will go down in history as "Apple's Vietnam"...

Apple and Samsung could settle patent disputes out of court by the summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple and its frenemy Samsung have been embroiled in a complex web of lawsuits spanning continents but now a resolution to the long standing patent dispute that has fascinated watchers around the globe could be within reach as the two technology giants are reportedly engaged in settlement talks, according to a Korean newspaper.

The unexpected development arrives hot on the heels of a surprising Reuters report last week confirming that Apple and Google put an end to a dispute with Motorola Mobility which Google inherited after snapping up Motorola 2011.

That agreement even has the two sides banding together on a patent reform, though it excludes cross-licensing of their respective mobile patent portfolio and Apple’s lawsuits with other Android makers like Samsung...

Apple and Google agree to settle all current patent litigation

Cody Lee ∙ May 16, 2014

After years of being embroiled in a number of lawsuits, on multiple continents, Apple and Google have announced that they have reached a settlement regarding patent litigation.

The two companies have agreed to dismiss all current lawsuits between Apple and Google's former Motorola Mobility unit, and have even said they'll work together on patent reform...

Apple being sued over long-standing iMessage issue

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 4, 2023

A former iPhone user has filed a lawsuit against Apple over a long-standing iMessage issue. The complaint was filed yesterday in San Jose, California by Adrienne Moore, who says the company's messaging system is interfering with text messaging on her new Android phone.

This issue has affected a number of former iPhone owners, who have switched to Android or another device. The problem is that when a person switches handsets, other iPhones still associate that phone number with iMessage, thus hampering their ability to text message...