apple v. samsung

Samsung to reinstate the Galaxy S3's search function

Never fear, a fix is supposedly near. Samsung confirmed today that the recent "stability update" on the Galaxy S3 that rendered the on-device search function useless was going to be repaired immediately, according to the BBC.

"The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S3 in the UK included the inadvertent removal of the universal search function," the company said in a statement, according to the BBC. "Samsung will provide the correct software upgrade within the next few days."

Reports of the bunk update surfaced earlier this month when S3 owners found out that … Read more

Top secret iPhone, iPad prototype shots emerge

Who said lawyers are the only ones who benefit from massive lawsuits between multi-national companies? As a by-product of the proceedings between Apple and Samsung, Apple-watchers now get a slew of shots of early iPhone and iPad designs that have been unveiled in court documents.

As profiled by The Verge this afternoon, the collection includes an unusual picture frame-esq version of the iPad that sports a kickstand. There also a handful of prototype iPhone designs, including one with angular emerald-like corners, one that's like a metallic slab, and one with two-toned design on the rear, which MacRumors points out … Read more

Apple: Samsung, you owe us $2.5B in damages

Apple is looking for Samsung to fork over $2.5 billion to settle patent infringement claims in the U.S.

That's the latest figure bandied about by Apple in the ongoing patent infringement saga between the two companies. But how did Apple cook up such a figure?

Fleshed out by Foss Patents' Florian Mueller, the amount is based on the per-unit royalties that Apple believes it is due from Samsung as part of the intellectual property rights lawsuit.

Drilling down the price tag per unit, $2.02 covers the "overscroll bounce" technology cited in the '318 patent. … Read more

Apple and Samsung fail at making peace in patent war

As the Apple vs. Samsung patent trial rapidly approaches, settlement talks between the two companies still seem to be stymied, according to Reuters.

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with two of Samsung's top executives, vice chairman Choi Gee-sung and mobile chief Shin Jong-Kyun, in an undisclosed meeting last week to see if the two sides could resolve the matter before trial, according to Reuters. But the talks were to no avail -- mediation between the two companies still seems to have fallen short.

The two tech giants became embroiled in this legal battle in April 2011 when Apple filed … Read more

Samsung vs. Apple: Patent fight sinks Qualcomm truce

Samsung had signed an agreement with Qualcomm not to sue the chipmaker or its customers for using Samsung's 3G patents, but this agreement was called off when Apple took Samsung to court over the Galaxy Tab, Samsung admitted in the Australian Federal Court this morning.

The Federal Court today commenced the long-awaited case between Apple and Samsung over alleged patent infringements by the two companies. The court began hearing Samsung's counterclaim against Apple -- that the company infringed on three standards-essential 3G patents held by Samsung in the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

Lawyers for Samsung … Read more

Secrecy bids in Apple-Samsung patent lawsuit denied

A federal judge has rejected requests by Apple and Samsung to keep portions of sensitive company documents from being made public during their patent battle.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh for the Northern District of California ruled today that "it appears that the parties have overdesignated confidential documents and are seeking to seal information that is not truly sealable," according to a Reuters report. "Only documents of exceptionally sensitive information that truly deserve protection will be allowed to be redacted or kept from the public."

Koh gave each company one week to refile their requests. … Read more

Apple gets green light to seek Samsung tablet ban in U.S.

Apple has been given the go-ahead to seek a sales injunction on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, which would see the tablet banned from U.S. stores.

The two companies are set to attend settlement talks next week. Apple's next move could shape whether the settlement talks will succeed or fail.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said the lower district judge in California was "incorrect in thinking that one Apple patent related to the iPad may be invalid," reported The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). The court also said a sales … Read more

Finally! Judge tosses two Apple-Samsung patent cases

A judge in Germany this morning took a small step toward getting the world at least a little closer to cutting down on the vast number of mobile patent suits floating around.

Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court today threw out two lawsuits between Apple and Samsung. According to Reuters, which was first to report on the story, one of the cases the judge threw out involved a claim made by Apple that Samsung violated a slide-to-unlock patent it holds. FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller reported that the judge also threw out a patent claim Samsung brought against Apple … Read more