StandardEssentialPatents
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ITC postpones its decision on Apple's complaint against Samsung
Yesterday, August 1, 2013 was the day that the US International Trade Commission (ITC) was supposed to make a decision on Apple's complaint against Samsung. According to Florian Mueller at FOSS Patents, the ITC gave notice yesterday that it is postponing that decision by eight days until August 9, 2013. Not to be confused with the possible ban on importation of older Apple iPhones and iPads due to infringement by Apple of some Samsung technical patents, this ruling was to determine possible sanctions against Samsung after Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender found in October 2012 that Samsung had infringed on three Apple technical patents and one design patent. Additional violations by Android's text-selection feature were found after the ITC had remanded some issues to Judge Pender. August 9 is going to be an important day for Apple. Not only will the ITC announce its decision (unless it is postponed again), but that's the day that the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit holds a hearing on Apple's appeal of a court denial of an injunction against a number of Samsung products found to be infringing on Apple patents. The next three days are also critical for Apple, as the presidential review period for the Samsung ban against older iPhones and iPads expires. As noted yesterday, a bipartisan group of US senators has called on US Trade Representative Michael Froman to veto the ban, and today Washington, DC-based antitrust lawyer Jay Jurata called for the White House to "rein in the ITC" on standard-essential patents.
Apple grabs another win against Samsung in London court
Watching the patent lawsuits between Apple and Samsung is like watching a tennis match -- first the ball is on Apple's side and they lob it over the net right past Samsung, then Samsung sneaks a shot past Apple and they win a game. The latest news, this time out of a court in London, is that Apple has won a case over the use of Standard Essential Patents in its products. Samsung had asserted that Apple products infringed on a Standard Essential Patent held by the South Korean manufacturer. The Wednesday ruling means that Samsung, which was hoping for 2.4 percent royalties on sales of any of Apple's 3G-capable devices, won't get a thing. Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents told ZDNet that "On a worldwide basis Apple has now fended off 24 assertions of Standard-Essential Patents by Samsung. Samsung prevailed only on three such patents, two of them in Korea. With every win Apple scores, Samsung's demand for a 2.4 percent royalty on Apple's sales of 3G-capable products looks more ridiculous."
