HTC-branded crates have been trickling through customs for ten days already, following a total clamp-down earlier in May, but it's only now that they're able to pass through without lengthy extra checks. The manufacturer says it has "completed the review process with US Customs" and that it is "confident that we will soon be able to meet the demand for our products." That obviously raises the question as to why the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE devices were held up in the first place. The ITC had earlier ruled that HTC infringed on an Apple patent about data detection, concerning a handset's ability to recognize and move around personal data, for example between the contact entry and the calendar, and it had given HTC until April to remove that feature. HTC agreed to that, but it appears customs officials initially needed to check every box to ensure that products arriving in the US were of the compliant type. Meanwhile, the LTE part of the EVO 4G is still waiting for its luggage.

Customs stops delaying HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE devices after 'review' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 03:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple has famously shunned the humble stylus, so it's fair to say we're more than a little curious about why it's filed a patent application for one. The "optical stylus" mentioned seems simple enough. The claims outline the brains to interpret your doodlings, as well pressure and orientation. Beyond that, well, it's more or less just a stylus. While we suspected the team at Cupertino were fans of Draw Something, we didn't think they'd take it this seriously!

Apple applies for optical stylus patent, Hell reports coldest day on record originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung design VP Chang Dong-hoon has refuted accusations that the Galaxy S III was designed "by lawyers." Responding to the reports that stated the new handset was tweaked to circumvent deliberate trade dress claims made by Cupertino in its lawsuit, he said that the redesign is part of the company's five-year plan rather than a sudden change. He went on to say that the flagship went through hundreds of iterations before the team alighted upon the model that will shortly make its way into sweaty palms all over the world.

Samsung: 'Lawyers didn't design the Galaxy S III' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kodak hasn't caught a break lately, and that trend isn't easing up any time soon with a second rejection arriving in its main International Trade Commission (ITC) patent dispute with Apple and RIM. Despite having had its case remanded after a loss last year, Kodak is once more being told that BlackBerrys and iPhones don't violate a patent on previewing photos. The one violation was rendered moot through "obviousness," according to administrative law judge Thomas Pender. It's still an initial ruling, and Kodak is trying to put a positive light on the situation -- it's "pleased" there's still an infringement, even if the patent claim is invalid -- but the patent wars aren't looking good for a photography company that has already had to give up cameras to have a chance of staying afloat. Most of Kodak's hope, then, will be pinned on a second wave of ITC disputes that might stand a better chance of putting at least Apple's feet to the fire.

Continue reading ITC says again that Apple and RIM don't violate Kodak patent

ITC says again that Apple and RIM don't violate Kodak patent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The at times very heated legal battle between Apple and Samsung might be softening just a bit ahead of truce talks on May 21st. Samsung's mobile head JK Shin just left Seoul for the mediated discussions saying there were still "several negotiation options" on tap, including the possibility of cross-licensing patents. He warned that there was still a "big gap" between the two sides, and we'd tend to agree -- neither Apple nor Samsung is exactly backing off just yet. However, it's a definite shift in language from March, when Shin was vowing "no compromise," and it parallels Apple CEO Tim Cook's own disdain for lawsuits. We just wouldn't bet money on the two singing "Kumbaya" this week.

In same breath, Shin added that an ongoing 4G chipset shortage wasn't letting up: he didn't see things getting better until the start of the fourth quarter, or October for us common folk. That's a problem for Samsung's phones and tablets most of all, of course, and in a dire case could see LTE-packing American Galaxy S III variants rely on other vendors' chips to stay on the 4G bandwagon. There's also a chance of a ripple effect on other companies that want Samsung's parts, but short of getting a peek at Samsung's inner workings, we won't know the full impact for awhile yet.

Samsung chief: we're open to a cross-licensing deal with Apple, but 4G chip shortage might last until the fall originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you found yourself longing for the minor tweaks Samsung made to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany earlier this year, you may be in luck: Apple's filed for a preliminary injunction against the slate stateside. It isn't the first one, either, Cupertino filed something similar back in February, though it didn't quite pass legal muster. After gaining some headway earlier this week, Cook's crew is in for round two, according to FOSS Patents, asking for Judge Koh to rule in their favor without a new hearing. Concerned consumers, however, can sidestep the whole mess by simply opting for an injunction-exempt Galaxy Tab 2. Details and speculation can be found at the source link below, just in case you aren't already sick to death of the whole Samsung / Apple spat.

Apple files (again) for a preliminary ban against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 02:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a trend starting to emerge of judges wanting Apple to talk settlements with others rather than duke it out in the courtroom. Just two weeks after Apple and Samsung were steered towards talking about a potential deal, a Delaware court has ordered Apple and HTC to meet on August 28th in the hopes that they could shake hands and put an end to an increasingly hectic legal battle under the eyes of a mediating judge. Whether or not that happens is very much up in the air. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he's not a fan of lawsuits, but he hasn't showed indications that he would take legal action off the table just yet. Likewise, HTC is no doubt eager to eliminate phone shipping delays stemming from Apple's court wins, but the lack of immediate pressure and the hopes of winning countersuits might lead it to hold off. Still, if the court's ideal vision of the world comes to pass, you could see HTC's Cher Wang shopping in an Apple Store without staff giving her the evil eye.

[Image credit: mobile01]

Apple, HTC ordered by judge to sit down, try and make nice on August 28th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We'll forgive you if you've forgotten, given the myriad Apple/Samsung legal shenanigans, but back in February, Apple attempted to obtain a preliminary injunction against Samsung to prevent the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a few phones from being sold in the US. Samsung emerged victorious, as the district court denied Cupertino's request because it questioned the validity of a couple of Apple's patents and didn't see how Apple would be irreparably harmed if it failed to get Sammy's products banned. Naturally, Tim Cook's crew appealed that decision, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has decided to give Apple another crack at obtaining an injunction. The CAFC upheld the lower court's ruling as to three of the four patents, but found fault with the District Court's holding that Apple's tablet design patent had substantial questions of validity.

Essentially, the lower court held that Apple's patent was likely no good because it was an obvious design in light of two tablets that were created long before Apple patented the iPad's look. However, the CAFC found that one of the previous slate's asymmetrical bezel and lack of an unbroken, all-glass surface (among other differences) were sufficient to render Apple's patent non-obvious. Basically, the appellate court found that the District court "construed the claimed design too broadly," and remanded the issue so that the district court could complete its preliminary injunction analysis. So, Apple's cleared a big hurdle towards getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 off the US market, but the company's still got to persuade Judge Koh that it'll be irreparably harmed without the injunction. This decision assures even longer legal proceedings, but given how well both of these tech titans are doing these days, we're pretty sure they can afford the attorneys' fees.

Apple gets another bite, wins appeal to pursue preliminary injunction against Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week, Judge Lucy Koh informed Apple and Samsung that they would have to reduce the number of patent claims at issue in the parties' Northern District of California litigation. And now, each has complied, with Samsung dropping its total number of asserted patent claims from 75 to 15, while dismissing two patents from the case altogether. For its part, Apple has reduced its case to one claim from each of its asserted utility patents, its four iPhone and one iPad design patents, and its trade dress claims for those two devices. Keep in mind, however, that they did so without prejudice, which means that either party can reassert these dismissed claims in a later lawsuit. That said, the parties have at least attempted to placate Judge Koh in order to keep their July 30th trial date, which is when the real legal fireworks begin. Feel free to check the filings below for the full scope of this most recent patent pruning.

Apple and Samsung finally agree... to drop a plethora of claims from their patent spat originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We could all use a little feedback, right? Even Apple. The company has been toying around with the concept of haptic feedback for a while now, at least so far as patent applications are concerned. Another application filed in November or 2010 has surfaced. Of course, what we told you back in 2009 about the tenuous connection between an application and an actual product is as relevant as ever. Still, Apple's concept for a "tiered haptic system" which "may use one or more arrays of shape change elements to provide a wide range of tactile feedback" demonstrates that, at least as of late 2010, Cupertino was still working to rethink the way it sees touchscreens.

Patent application highlights Apple's continued flirtation with haptic feedback originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple v. Samsung judge yells 'get to the point, you two' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, you've changed your phone number to escape that stalker (look, we're sorry, we just wanted to sell you a pyramid scheme), but how do you let all 104 of your remaining friends know without manually texting 'em? The answer lies in Apple's newly granted patent, which aims to end the tedium by having your device recognize when your number switches and automatically send an updated contact entry to everyone in your address book. Of course, there's nothing in the claims to say it's discriminatory, so now we've got your number again -- have you changed your mind about that pyramid scheme?

Apple patents that moment when you text-bomb everyone with your new number originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

These two brawlers were given until July to come together and mediate over their numerous globe-spanning patent lawsuits, but it appears neither side needs to wait that long. According to Foss Patents, May 21st and 22nd have been circled on the calendar of a certain San Francisco courthouse, where Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero will attempt to arbitrate in a calm, soothing voice for two days straight. Presenting himself as a confidant who sits outside of the main litigation being conducted in San Jose, Spero has already asked both parties to open up and provide "candid" statements about the strengths and weaknesses of their own cases, as a first step towards identifying areas of compromise. Fortunately, he still has a few weeks in which to devise further cunning plans.

Continue reading Apple and Samsung set to meet May 21st, hug it out over 48 hours

Apple and Samsung set to meet May 21st, hug it out over 48 hours originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tired of the ongoing patent wars? Well, Tim Cook gave us some reason to hope. In response to a question about the potential for settlements in the current pile of lawsuits on the company's plate, the CEO seemed open to the idea. In fact, he used the "h" word to describe is feelings towards the process. "I've always hated litigation. I continue to hate it," he said, before striking a slightly more combative tone to clarify, "I just want people to invent their own stuff." So there you go, stop stealing Apple's inventions and its lawyers won't sue. Seems simple enough. The urge to avoid further legal tussles seems genuine though, saying that, if an acceptable agreement could be struck he'd "highly prefer to settle rather than battle."

Tim Cook hates litigation, not quite ready to call a patent truce originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola scored a win with the US International Trade Commission this week in its on-going patent battle with Apple. The commission's Judge Thomas Pender ruled that Cupertino is in violation of a Motorola WiFi patent -- one of four patents included in a complaint filed by the RAZR maker back in October 2010. Before the ITC actually goes so far as blocking the import of Apple products, however, the ruling is subject to review by the commission. The decision follows another patent win for Motorola, handed down by the ITC yesterday in a dispute with Microsoft.

Update: Motorola sent along the following, not surprisingly chipper statement on the matter:

We are pleased that the ALJ's initial determination finds Apple to be in violation of Motorola Mobility's intellectual property, and look forward to the full commission's ruling in August. Our commitment to innovation is a primary reason why we are an industry-leader in intellectual property, and our focus continues to be on building on this strong foundation to enhance the user experience.

ITC judge finds Apple in violation of Motorola WiFi patent originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Mamas and the Papas used to dream about it, but California's been turned from sunny idyll into blood-spattered battleground as the global conflict 'twixt Samsung and Apple continues. Samsung's pulled out a further eight patents to rebuke Apple's Northern District court injunction that's got designs on banishing the Galaxy Nexus from our shores. Two of the patents are licensed under FRAND terms, muddying the waters even further over the contentious subject of common patent sharing. Meanwhile, both company CEOs are being made to engage in sit-down talks with the hope that Judge Lucy Koh won't make them share a dorm room at summer camp.

Samsung brings another eight patents to the Apple knife-fight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

German court upholds ban on iCloud and MobileMe push emails originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple patent app details 'active packaging,' a new level of window shopping originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Motorola now officially being investigated for abusing its patents in Europe

Motorola now officially being investigated for abusing its patents in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating

Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One embodiment may include a first electronic device communicatively coupled to a server and to a second electronic device. The second electronic device may be a portable electronic device, such as a digital media player, that includes a voice user interface. The second electronic device may be capable of accurate speech recognition, but may not include additional computation hardware and/or software for training the speech recognition engine. As such, the bulk, weigh, and cost for manufacturing the second electronic device may be reduced, resulting in a more portable and affordable product.

Apple patents Siri-like system for controlling cameras, PMPs through a computer or smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple secures patent on multiple-arm, multiple-frequency antenna design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple patents ejectable SIM card tray as nano-SIM battle rages on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple ready to license its nano-SIM design for free, on one not-so-nano condition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Apple patent app portends gadgets made of glass

Apple patent app portends gadgets made of glass originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple snags a patent for the Smart Cover's magnetic know-how originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's second slide-to-unlock case against Samsung stayed in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Hague to Samsung: no injunction for 3G patent infringement if Apple's willing to FRAND license originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple simplifies its ITC suit against Samsung: drops one patent and several claims from two more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Judge says Apple can't pursue patent infringement case against Kodak originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung files yet another lawsuit against Apple in South Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kodak moves to block Apple's latest patent suit from proceeding in federal district court originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

German court guns down third Samsung patent lawsuit, plus one from Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Today's ruling in Munich, Germany on the patent litigation brought by Apple concerns a software feature associated with performing certain functions when viewing photos in a 'zoomed in' mode on mobile devices. We note that the Court ruled that performing the functions in a 'zoomed out' mode does not infringe on this patent. We expect no impact to supply or future sales as we have already implemented a new way to view photos on our products that does not interfere with the user experience."

Apple wins injunction against Motorola in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple scores temporary ruling in Motorola battle, can keep selling iPads, iPhones in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft files EU antitrust complaint against Motorola Mobility, claims unfair licensing practices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple asks EU regulators to step in on Motorola patent dispute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ITC closes the book on HTC's first complaint against Apple, still working on its sequels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple granted injunction in German patent suit, Motorola phones with slide-to-unlock at risk originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple v. Samsung: Cupertino's latest complaint alleges 17 devices infringe 8 of its patents originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.