TiVo's patent lawsuit against Motorola (formerly owned by Google, then sold to set-top box maker Arris) had been scheduled to start June 10th, but now it's reported the parties have reached a settlement. There are no details available and representatives for the companies involved had no comment at this time. TiVo has successfully leveraged its "Time Warp" patent, along with others, to negotiate settlements with the likes of AT&T, Dish Network and Verizon. For Arris, protection guaranteeing it would only be responsible for up to $50 million in the case of a loss to TiVo -- which some analysts suggested could result in a payout of close to $1 billion -- came as part of its deal to acquire Motorola. The lawyers will remain busy however, as TiVo still has litigation pending against Time Warner Cable and Cisco.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Google
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Source: Bloomberg, Variety, Multichannel News
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Smartphone patent disputes may get all the glory, but display battles can be no less pitched. To that end, Samsung launched a US IP company in March sans fanfare called Intellectual Keystone Technology (IKP) to "trade and develop" OLED and LCD patents, according to The Korea Times. A spokesman said the company opened the office as a way to smooth innovation, but also warned that it intends to use it "to protect our intellectual property by strengthening our patent-related business." So far, it's already shored up Samsung's portfolio by purchasing display tech from Seiko Epson -- after all, it never hurts to have as many cards up your sleeve as you can when things get ugly.
Filed under: Displays, Samsung
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Via: Techmeme
Source: The Korea Times
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In with a bang, out with a whimper. After making us fear for the Xbox 360's (shelf) life by delivering an adverse ruling in Motorola's ITC patent infringement case against Microsoft last year, the presiding Administrative Law Judge reversed his stance a couple months ago after prodding by the full Commission. While the finding of non-infringement was good news for Microsoft, the decision still needed to be OK'd by the Commission before the investigation could be officially closed. We thought we weren't going to get a final ruling until later in the summer, but the ITC apparently agreed with the ALJ's initial ruling ahead of schedule, and has decided not to review the decision today. As a result, the investigation is now closed, and this particular battle in the patent wars is finally over.
Update: Naturally Microsoft Corporate VP and deputy General Counsel David Howard is a excited to see this case be closed, and issued the following statement:
This is a win for Xbox customers and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products.
Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft, Google
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Via: Reuters
Source: USITC [PDF]
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Apparently Nokia's interested in Microsoft's tablet cover slash keyboard market, filing a patent application today with the US Patent and Trade Organization for an "apparatus cover with keyboard." The description is what gives us that distinctly Surface feeling, which calls the "apparatus" a "cover" with two sections, one of which "has a keyboard thereon." Said cover is "pivotally connected" to a "display" (read: tablet device).
The concept is a bit different visually -- at least in drawings, as seen above -- than where your brain may be going. It seems to be more of a stand device than just a cover, and it apparently includes a stylus as well. Of course, all of this is still very much in concept-ville, as it's just a patent application and not even the granting thereof. So keep your salt shakers nearby and all that -- this could end up never materializing.
Filed under: Handhelds, Tablets, Mobile, Nokia
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Source: USPTO
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You know those goofy tennis racket peripherals that allow for Wiimote insertion? Or, perhaps more sensibly, those Guitar Hero axes that wouldn't function without a Wiimote planted at the heart? Looks as if Nintendo's going to do us all one better. Based on a rambling new patent granted to the Big N this week, the company now holds the power to concoct a "remotely controlled mobile device control system." Distilled down, the verbiage describes a Wiimote-type controller being embedded within a "remote controlled toy," which would then be (unsurprisingly) used in conjunction with a game console. Essentially, this opens the door for Honda to develop a new variant of ASIMO that takes commands via an embedded Wii controller... or, for a Wii-infused robot to turn on its owner and commit unspeakable crimes against humanity. But hey, it'll probably be pretty cute.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Nintendo
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Source: USPTO
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Tired of all the patent-related stories? Especially the ones that seem like they are more about financial gain than fairness? We thought so. We'd imagine it's even more of a frustration if you're one of the companies regularly involved. No surprise then that some firms -- such as Google, BlackBerry, EarthLink and Red Hat -- have decided to do something about it, taking the fight directly to the FTC and DoJ. In a recent blog post, Google explains that -- along with its collaborators -- it has submitted comments to the aforementioned agencies, detailing the impact that "patent trolls" have on the economy.
While the financial cost to the US taxpayer is said to be nearly $30 billion, the four companies also point out how such behavior hurts consumers even further, suggesting that when start-ups and small businesses are strong-armed, innovation and competition suffer. Some specific practices such as "patent priveteering" -- when a company sells patents to trolls who don't manufacture anything and therefore can't be countersued -- also come under direct criticism. The cynical might assume this all comes back to the bottom line, but with the collaborative extending an invitation to other companies to help develop revised, cooperative licensing agreements, they are the very least making it difficult for them to engage in similar behavior in the future. At least until the FTC and DoJ respond.
Filed under: Misc, Google, Blackberry
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Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google Public Policy (blog)
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