patents

Apple beats HTC in US patent battle

HTC has been informed by the US International Trade Commission it is in violation of an Apple patent, with the Taiwan-based manufacturer given until 19 April 2012 to comply with the ruling or face its handsets from being banned from import into the USA. The patent in question concerns a “system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer generated data”. This could refer to a situation where a user clicks on a phone number in an email to make a call with the phone app. Despite having been ruled against by the ITC, HTC considers the decision a tick in the win column. “Since the infringing elements identified by the ITC involve and impact only a very minimal part of the user interface, we will remove it as soon as possible and sell non-infringing products,” HTC said in a company statement.

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Apple beats HTC in US patent battle

patents

Galaxy Tab disappears from orbit at IFA trade show

Samsung has removed its Galaxy Tab from Europe’s biggest electronic fair, held in Berlin – the IFA electronics show. The tablet had been slated to make an appearance at the conference but was removed abruptly after a German court in Düsseldorf ruled in favour of Apple and ordered Samsung to halt sales of its Galaxy Tab 7.7. Each year, manufacturers from all over the world flock to the IFA trade show to display their latest products and attract European consumers. The ban comes as the latest in a line of setbacks for the South Korean technology manufacturer. Samsung and Apple have been locked in a bitter global patents dispute for months that has already forced Samsung to delay sales of its tablet in Australia twice. The argument came to blows in April, as Apple filed suit against Samsung for copying the design of its popular iPhone and iPad. Initially, Samsung responded to the lawsuit saying it was prepared to take “appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property.” Samsung then counter-sued Apple, claiming Cupertino infringed on Samsung’s wireless patents. The ruling in August initially placed a temporary sales ban on an earlier model Galaxy Tab 10.1 in 26 European Union countries, but was scaled back on jurisdictional grounds to only Germany

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Galaxy Tab disappears from orbit at IFA trade show