Things have been looking bleak for Kaleidescape's DVD servers since a Judge ruled against them on appeal, and earlier this month issued an injunction that was to have taken effect on April 8th. We say was because CEO Michael Malcolm is now saying the California 6th District Court of Appeal has issued a temporary stay of that injunction. The court is still deciding whether or not to stay the injunction during the entire process, a decision Malcolm says could affect whether or not the company survives or has to lay people off. While the current case does not affect Kaleidescape's tethered Blu-ray servers, it's tiring to hear about all this from the DVD CCA over a DRM scheme that was cracked wide open so long ago, and a case that had appeared to be over.

Kaleidescape DVD servers granted a temporary stay originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The legal tussle between Apple and Proview over the iPad has swung in Cupertino's direction. According to Ximin News, a Shanghai court has rebuffed Proview's demand for an injunction halting the sale of the Apple tablet due to licensing issues. The Pudong New Area People's Court made the decision yesterday, stating that there wasn't enough evidence to support Proview's claim of a trademark violation. There wasn't enough to substantiate Proview's claims that it still held rights to the trademark in China. Its Taiwan branch registered the trademark in several countries, with the Shenzhen branch registering it in China. Apple then bought worldwide rights from Proview Taiwan, which would have included China. Proview Shenzhen is now saying that they never authorized its Taiwan counterpart to do so, but Apple is says that it has Proview Shenzhen's signatures on the paperwork. It looks like it's going to get easier to grab that iPad in China. An iPhone 4S, on the other hand...

Shanghai court rejects Proview injunction, okays the sale of Apple iPads originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With patent infringement accusations going every which way in recent months, we're certainly familiar with Apple/Samsung banter in the international arena. Now Apple has thrown yet another punch at the Korean smartphone maker, targeting its Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Plus and eight other handsets, claiming -- yes, you've got it -- patent infringement. The suit was filed in Dusseldorf Regional Court -- the same venue that the company used to target the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which was created specifically to sidestep a September injunction, also in Germany. It's becoming rather difficult to keep track of all the IP hubbub across the pond, but we'll surely be back with more as soon as the German court has a ruling to share.

Apple files German lawsuit against Samsung, targets Galaxy S II, nine other smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A judge with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled Monday that HTC is guilty of infringing Apple’s patents in several devices. The ITC also ordered a ban on the import of several of HTC’s smartphones although it is unclear which models are affected. The ban will take effect on April 19th. “Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has found a violation of section 337 in this investigation and has issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing personal data and mobile communications devices and related software,â€� the ITC said in its determination. “The Commission has determined that exclusion of articles subject to this order shall commence on April 19, 2012.â€� Raed on for more.

UPDATE: HTC gave BGR a statement regarding the ITC ruling, which can be read in its entirety here.

The injunction applies to two patents related to “data tapping,” and “if Google can implement this popular feature, which users of modern-day smartphones really expect, without infringing on the two patent claims found infringed, this import ban won’t have any effect whatsoever,” patent expert Florian Muller of FOSS Patents said in a post.

Apple accused HTC of infringing on 10 total patents and the ITC ruled in July that HTC was in violation of two of those patents. HTC later filed for an appeal of the case, in which Apple sought to ban the Taiwan-based vendor from selling its devices in the United States. “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,â€� Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs said in March, 2010, when the complaint was initially filed.

A French court on Thursday decided against issuing an injunction that would have barred Apple from selling the iPhone 4S in France, Bloomberg reports. The decision was part of a patent infringement complaint recently filed against Apple by Samsung, but Judge Marie-Christine Courboulay denied Samsung’s request. “The disproportionate character of the ban sought by Samsung against Apple is clear,” Judge Courboulay said in today’s decision, ruling that Samsung must pay Apple €100,000 for legal fees. The claim will move forward to be tried as a standard patent suit. Samsung filed a suit in October seeking to block sales of Apple’s iPhones in France and Italy, alleging that Apple’s smartphones infringe on Samsung’s protected intellectual property. “Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology,â€� Samsung said in a statement at that time. “We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation.â€� Apple and Samsung have now filed a combined total of at least 30 lawsuits against each other across 10 different countries.

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As the legal drama between Apple and Samsung drags on around the world, US District Court Judge has rejected Apple's request to block the sales of Galaxy devices. Reuters reports the ruling came out late Friday, with the judge deciding "It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung's accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed,". This isn't the first rejection for the folks from Cupertino either, after a request to speed up the trial was also denied back in July. The case itself will of course go on, but this means you'll still be able to get your hands on those Galaxy Tabs, Galaxy S IIs, and the like in the meantime.

Apple's request to block Samsung Galaxy tablet, phone sales in the US is denied originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s tweaks to the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 weren’t enough to satisfy Apple’s legal team. Apple successfully banned Samsung’s German subsidiaries from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 after it accused the South Korea-based company of patent infringement. Samsung responded by releasing a modified Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet it believed had addressed all of Apple’s concerns. Unfortunately, Apple isn’t satisfied with the changes and it wants to ban Samsung from selling the new tablet as well. A hearing for Apple’s request for an injunction is scheduled for December 22nd, Dow Jones Newswires said. The two companies have been locked in patent-related legal battles around the globe and currently have similar ongoing cases in the United States, Japan, France and Australia.

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Apple and Samsung have been battling in German courts about whether the Galaxy Tab 10.1 stole ideas from the iPad or not (among other things). So to avoid the injunction, Samsung went ahead and changed the design of the Tab in Germany so it wouldn't look like an iPad anymore. More »

A US judge ruled in favor of Apple upholding the company's claim that Samsung's Galaxy tablets infringe on iPad-related patents. District Judge Lucy Koh stopped short of granting Apple an injunction banning the sale of the Galaxy tablet in the US. More »

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and seven other privacy groups have contacted the U.S. Federal Trade Commission asking it to investigate Facebook for “secretly tracking users after they logged off of Facebook’s webpage.” A 34-page complaint filed by EPIC asks for an injunction, investigation and “other relief” from the social network. EPIC said Facebook is home to more than 60 billion photographs and alleges it developed its “tag suggestions” feature to collect data on Facebook users “without knowledge of consent in order to develop facial recognition technology.” The complaint specifically states:

Given these extraordinary circumstances, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, The Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog, and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, urge the Commission to investigate Facebook, determine the extent of the harm to consumer privacy and safety, require Facebook to cease collection and use of users’ biometric data without their affirmative opt-in consent, require Facebook to give users meaningful control over their personal information, establish appropriate security safeguards, limit the disclosure of user information to third parties, and seek appropriate injunctive and compensatory relief.

EPIC’s letter also details how the social network violates its own terms of service and shows how hard it is for a user who has been tagged in a photo to delete the original image which, in most cases, is owned by somebody else. EPIC wants Facebook to create a detailed privacy program and to immediately suspend its face-tagging feature.

[Via AP]

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Samsung recently offered Apple a secret deal in Australia that could potentially allow the South Korea-based phone maker to put its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet on store shelves as soon as next week, The Wall Street Journal said Friday. Samsung’s lawyer David Catterns discussed the deal briefly in the Federal Court in Sydney but did not divulge the details of Samsung’s offer. However, Apple lawyer Stephen Burley suggested the iPhone maker may be interested in taking Samsung up on the offer. Samsung’s “inconvenience would be diminished and we would be comforted” if the deal was accepted, Burley explained. Apple and Samsung are locked up in multiple patent-related lawsuits around the globe, as Apple has accused Samsung of creating “copycat” versions of its iPad and iPhone. An injunction has not been leveled in Australia just yet, but Samsung has agreed not to sell or advertise the Galaxy Tab 10.1 until a judge rules whether or not Samsung is in violation of Apple’s patents.

Apple has repeatedly accused Samsung of “copying” its products, but it looks like Microsoft is now the one following Apple’s lead. A class action lawsuit filed in Seattle on Wednesday accuses Microsoft of unlawfully tracking users of smartphones that run the company’s emerging Windows Phone 7 operating system. According to the complaint, the camera application in Microsoft’s Windows Phone software continues to track users’ locations and transmit that data to Microsoft even if users opt-out of Windows Phone’s tracking and feedback functions. The class action suit seeks an injunction as well as punitive damages. Earlier this year, Apple was caught tracking iPhone and iPad users’ locations and storing them in a hidden file on the devices. Apple would go on to state that the issue was caused by a bug, and the Cupertino-based company quickly issued a software update to remedy the problem. Numerous complaints were filed as a result of the scandal however, and while damages have been minimal so far, several cases are still outstanding.

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Nokia has lost a patent battle with a Germany-based IPCom that took place in a U.K. court, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. ”As far as we know, this is the first time that an essential telecoms 3G patent was ever upheld and judged infringed in the U.K.,” Bernhard Frohwitter, IPCom’s Managing Director, said. Nokia sees the ruling a bit differently, however, and has argued that IPCom’s claims “[reflect] a severe misunderstanding” of the U.K. High Court’s ruling. IPCom originally alleged that Nokia had been infringing on a tech patent that “allows mobile telephony networks to assign priorities to users.” The German company was seeking damages and an injunction to halt the sale of certain Nokia phones in the U.K., but Nokia said it is confident it can continue selling all of its current devices legally. Nokia believes IPCom’s tactic is to try to trap it into “unrealistic licensing terms,” and that it will “continue to defend itself vigorously.”

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Two weeks ago you'd have to pay an Australian importer for a specialized USB key. Four days ago open-source software let you roll your own. Today, there's no need for any of that -- you can hack your PS3 with a tethered smartphone. Working closely with the PSGroove team, hacker Kakaroto adapted the same jailbreak to the Nokia N900, and the open-source community lost no time porting it to the Palm Pre as well. If the videos after the break are any indication, both versions work just as well as the original, and you too can get your game on with downloads and detailed instructions at the source links below.

Sadly, the aforementioned Australian importer OzModChips is a casualty of this little story, with all its shipments of the PS Jailbreak dongle seized (and the item subject to injunction) by an Australian court, but we suppose knowing its product has enabled the hardware hacking community thus might somewhat soften the blow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video)

PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following up on a story we posted this morning, Google has released a statement in response to the lawsuit filed by Oracle over the search giant’s implementation of Java in Android. The statement looks like this:

We are disappointed Oracle has chosen to attack both Google and the open-source Java community with this baseless lawsuit. The open-source Java community goes beyond any one corporation and works every day to make the web a better place. We will strongly defend open-source standards and will continue to work with the industry to develop the Android platform.

As reported by USA Today, Oracle is, “seeking an injunction and unspecified damages,” although the suit is most likely “part of a larger negotiating effort by Oracle to land a sizable licensing fee.” Oracle has yet to release an official statement defending the merits of the suit.

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LG Display may want to be more careful where it aims those patent lawsuits next time, after a dispute it kicked off with AUO has lead to a finding by a U.S. District court that it actually violated AUO's patents and not the other way around. Say hello to patent Nos 6,778,160, 6,689,629, 7,125,157 and 7,090,506, covering "technologies help to improve response time, improve reliability of LCDs, solve the problem of defects in the displayed images, and provide a very compact structure useful for small handheld devices, respectively." So far AUO is indicating that it will seek an injunction preventing LG from shipping its potentially infringing HDTVs, monitors, notebooks and even phones to the U.S, plus some other legal tough talk for good measure. After LG's almost inevitable appeal this could drag out for years and/or be resolved in a sudden alliance of cross licensing so while there still may be time to grab that Chocolate Touch you've been eyeing, we'd keep a casual eye on LE9500 shipping dates in case of slippage.

Continue reading AUO scores patent lawsuit decision over LG Display

AUO scores patent lawsuit decision over LG Display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in October we told you about Nokia filing suit against Apple over the iPhone, claiming that Apple’s mobile offering violated Nokia patents pertaining to GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards. Perhaps some legal posturing, we thought; a public and principled shot across the bow aimed at the Cupertino based tech company? Apparently not, as Nokia has taken off the gloves. In a December 29th filing with the International Trade Commission, Nokia seeks an immediate injunction that would ban the import of anything with a camera and an Apple logo on it: iPhones, iPod Touches, iMacs, Macbooks – you get the idea. The suit claims Apple is violating Nokia patents in its use of a combined camera chip which keeps the size and power usage of devices down, a voltage controlled oscillator (VOC) that “increases the efficiency of the wireless device and uses less power than traditional VCOs, thereby increasing battery life,” and the sensor technology used in the iPhone that turns the screen off when it is within proximity of your face to prevent accidental input. We’re not sure if Nokia’s strategy is a sound one, but we’ll stay on top of this one as the filings continue to mount. You can hit up the link to read the original article translated from Finnish.

[Via Nokia Views]

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