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Microsoft prevails over an 8-year-old attempt to block its phone sales
Remember the heady days of August 2007, when the iPhone had barely reached store shelves and the Nokia N95 was all the rage? The US International Trade Commission sure does. After reviewing an 8-year-long case, the ITC has ruled that Nokia's phones (now Microsoft's) don't infringe on InterDigital patents covering 3G cellular technology. The decision eliminates the possibility of an import ban that would have prevented Microsoft from selling many of its phones in the US, including modern day Lumias. Things very nearly didn't go the company's way -- a judge had ruled in April that Microsoft was using InterDigital's patents, which would have forced the folks in Redmond to pay up.
ITC judge rules against InterDigital in first round of 3G patent case (update)
After two long years, the International Trade Commission has finally come to a decision in favor of Huawei, Nokia and ZTE in a 3G patent case brought by InterDigital in 2011. According to an ITC judge, the three phone manufacturers did not violate the seven InterDigital-owned patents that covers various WCDMA and CDMA2000 technologies used to make their devices. InterDigital even went so far as to request the ban of US sales of these devices pending a decision. The Philadelphia-based company filed a similar complaint against LG, which chose a settlement instead of going through the courts but it argued it had a right to arbitration based on a previous licensing agreement and was taken out of the case (see update below). Still, this is just a preliminary ruling; the final decision of the case is expected in October. Update: The story initially said LG chose a settlement instead of going through the courts, which is incorrect. We learned from InterDigital that while LG was in the original case, the ITC took the Korean company out once LG said it had a right to arbitration. However, the Court of Appeals of the Federal Circuit ruled earlier in June that the ITC has made a mistake in excluding LG. So, LG could still face the initial charges brought to it by InterDigital.
InterDigital files ITC complaint against Huawei, Nokia, Samsung and ZTE, requests sales ban
InterDigital is at it again. The company may have lightened its patent load last summer with a little help from Intel, but it apparently still has plenty of ammunition left to fire at four new targets: Huawei, Nokia, Samsung and ZTE for selling "certain 3G and 4G wireless devices... that infringe up to seven of InterDigital's U.S. patents." At risk is a suite of 3G and 4G products from USB modems to laptops and covering phones and tablets in between. The specific models aren't listed in InterDigital's release, but the company is asking the United States International Trade Commission to block the import and sale of them all. This isn't the first time Samsung, Nokia or Huawei have come to blows with InterDigital -- the former settled back in 2008, the latter filed its own lawsuit and Nokia has more than a few battle scars already -- and something tells us it won't be the last. One company that should stay out of the crosshairs? RIM. The House of BlackBerry just extended its patent licensing deal and can now rest easy. Update: You can also add Sony to the list of companies who have paid up.
InterDigital wins appeal in never-ending Nokia patent battle
We'll leave labeling of InterDigital to the individual -- whether you prefer patent troll or non-practicing entity, the semantics don't concern us. What does concern us, however, is the IP firm's ongoing legal battle with Nokia, and its recent victory over the Finnish manufacturer in the US Court of Appeals. The ruling reverses a previous decision handed down by the ITC that found Nokia did not violate InterDigital's patents, but the trio of judges hearing the appeal disagreed. The claims in question relate to 3G radios and networks -- the same patents that the firm used to target ZTE and Huawei. It doesn't appear that there will be any immediate repercussions for Nokia, either in the form of import bans or settlement fees. The Windows Phone champion is considering its next move, which may involve appealing the appeal.
InterDigital sells nearly 2,000 wireless patents to Intel, pockets $375 million
InterDigital (we interviewed its CEO last week) is selling off around 1,700 wireless patents and applications to Intel for $375 million. The company is making good on its promise to monetize its vast portfolio of IP, including technologies relating to 3G, WCDMA, HSDPA, HUSPA, LTE and 802.11 WiFi connections. It's a short in the arm for Intel's burgeoning wireless arm, which recently outed its first handset, the San Diego. It'll also strengthen the hand of the company in any litigation relating to the technology should the lawyers come knocking. So far it's not clear if the company is retaining an interest in the files its sold off, but we've reached out for comment and will let you know when we do. Update: The company let us know that it's not retaining any interest in the patents that it's selling off. It also mentioned that the 1,700-strong portfolio equates to around eight percent of the company's overall IP holdings -- a number that it generates roughly every 18 months.
InterDigital's Bill Merritt on patent trolls, standards development and disputes with the big boys
You probably won't know the name, but you most certainly use its technology on a daily basis. InterDigital is a pioneering company that helped develop WCDMA, 3G and HSDPA during its 50-year history. It counts former Apple CEO Gil Amelio as one of its directors, but the only time you'll ever hear its name is when it's embroiled in litigation. Either because it's suing, or being sued for licensing fees in the complex, murky world of wireless technologies, it's easy to get the idea that InterDigital is a patent troll. A name that, both Nokia and most recently, Huawei have barely stopped short of throwing at the company. But what's it like being painted as the villain in the wireless business pantomime? Company president and CEO William "Bill" Merritt took the time to answer some of our questions, talk about what the company actually does, what's in the future and why they definitely aren't a patent troll.
Huawei files EU antitrust complaint against InterDigital
Huawei has filed an EU antitrust complaint against InterDigital to end its "abuse" of the allegedly standards-essential patents it controls. The company has urged the commission to examine its demands, which are considered too hefty to come under the protection of FRAND terms. The shoe normally resides on the other foot, with InterDigital previously instigating battles with Nokia, Samsung and ZTE. This time, it looks like the Chinese giant was tired of being pushed around by what it's derisorily called a non-practicing entity -- which we've taken to be a polite euphemism. Update: InterDigital has released a statement, which we've included after the break.
Apple considers buying another $5 billion in patents
Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is considering buying InterDigital's patent portfolio, which is worth up to US$5 billion. The patents cover a wide range of mobile technologies used to transfer information over high-speed mobile phone networks. Just last month, Apple was the leader of a consortium that bought Nortel's patent portfolio for $4.5 billion. The ownership of patents is becoming a key issue to smartphone manufacturers as sales skyrocket. Major tech companies all want a piece of the same pie and Apple isn't alone in its interest of InterDigital's patents. Bloomberg says that Samsung has also been invited to bid on InterDigital's portfolio. Given that Samsung and Apple are locked up in patent lawsuits, it's possible that this could turn into a heated bidding war, possibly inflating the estimated $5 billion price.
InterDigital files ITC complaint against Nokia, Huawei, and ZTE for 3G patent infringement
Remember when InterDigital aired its grievances with Nokia before the International Trade Commission several years ago, alleging Espoo infringed a few of its 3G patents? Well, what's old is new again, and the company's filed another complaint with the ITC against the Finnish phone maker, Huawei, and ZTE, too. This time around, the hammer's been forged from seven patents for various WCDMA and CDMA2000 technologies allegedly found in those companies' phones, broadband dongles, and tablets. Reuters reports that, should the federal agency take up InterDigital's cause, Huawei and Nokia will fight the good fight, and we imagine that ZTE won't be rolling over, either. Of course, the ITC has 30 days to start an investigation, so we'll know within a month if InterDigital's latest IP fishing expedition has a shot to yield a bounty as big as it's gotten before.
Apple and Google may be in a bidding war over InterDigital patents
Thanks to the patent system, the tech market is looking more like Parker Brothers' "Monopoly" game every day. According to Bloomberg, Apple and Google are two of the companies reportedly interested in purchasing mobile tech designer InterDigital for its 1,300 patents related to information transfer. Google recently lost a bid for Nortel's patent portfolio, a bid that Apple, Microsoft, and other companies won. InterDigital's patents are supposedly "deeper and stronger" than Nortel's, however, which makes it a keen target for the major players in the mobile industry. It's kind of sad that we've reached the point where every time a tech company passes "Go" in Silicon Valley, they have to sweat over landing on someone's patented hotel space and cough up billions of dollars if they want to keep playing. Since that's apparently how the game is played these days, though, it'll be interesting to see who winds up with InterDigital's US$3.1 billion portfolio after the bidding is over.
Nokia / InterDigital patent drama continues with ITC ruling in Espoo's favor
Corporate legal teams are so large, so powerful, and often so evenly-matched that when you combine them with the glacial wheels of justice, patent disputes can take years to resolve -- in fact, we'd say it's the rule rather than the exception -- and inevitably, they end in anticlimactic fashion with the alleged offender agreeing to shell out some fraction of the plaintiff's original request in exchange for sweeping the whole matter under the rug. Nokia's had its fair share of such spats, and one that's been dogging the company for a good long while now is with InterDigital, which has been systematically targeting firms in the industry for years with claims that it holds patents inherently required for UMTS -- in other words, if you make UMTS gear, you automatically owe InterDigital money. Of course, Nokia has been politely disagreeing with that claim all along, and the US International Trade Commission has just issued an initial determination in its favor, saying that it doesn't violate the four patents InterDigital's all worked up over. For the record, the US ITC has been investigating this issue for a solid two years now, so yeah, if someone's ripping off your IP, don't expect a speedy resolution. The commission's initial determination will be followed by a final, binding determination this December; in the meantime; Espoo "will continue to present its case." Now that we think about it, we're pretty sure we saw this episode of Law & Order already.
Samsung settles up with InterDigital in long-running patent infringement case
At last, it's over. InterDigital, which is best known for its episodes in the courtroom with Samsung and Nokia, has finally reached an agreement with the former firm. The two have been at each other's throats since April of last year regarding patents allegedly used in some of Sammy's more sophisticated phones. The decision was reached just a day before the US International Trade Commission was set to rule on whether to recommend barring affected Samsung imports altogether, which we can assure you was not at all coincidental. There's been no public disclosure of settlement value, though one analyst at Hilliard Lyons estimates that Samsung will be coughing up $400 to $500 million over the next five years to make this problem go away. Talk about a recurring nightmare.
InterDigital, Nokia settle differences -- some of them
Only in the world of corporate law could two entities make amends in one continent while beating each other to a legal pulp in another. After three years of trading lawsuits over a handful of InterDigital patents regarding their applicability to the UMTS standard, Nokia and the firm have agreed to bury the hatchet with a settlement whose terms are undisclosed -- but only in the UK. The battle goes on in the US, where InterDigital still wants the ITC to put the smack down on Nokia's 3G products, which it claims are in violation of its intellectual property. InterDigital's stock got a nice little boost from the ordeal in the Isles, so it's apparently a Good Thing; maybe these guys want to take a seat at the negotiating table stateside, too?[Via Phone Scoop]
Nokia, InterDigital both pleased with 3G patent ruling in UK
It's not a common occurrence for both sides of a court case to be pleased with His / Her Honor's decision, particularly in the appeal-plagued world of wireless patent law. Well, here's a little breath of fresh air: both Nokia and InterDigital are declaring victory in a ruling put forth by a London High Court, saying that "most" of InterDigital's patents aren't essential to the UMTS standard. Why's InterDigital so amped, then? Turns out that the court did declare one of its patents to be essential, which appears to be the first time that any court has ever declared a company's patent to be inseparable from UMTS itself, the world's predominant 3G standard. The whole ruling stems from a complaint filed by Nokia way back in 2005 as a proactive attack against a potential (and at that time, purely theoretical) InterDigital lawsuit over patent infringement; sure enough, InterDigital ended up filing a motion with the ITC not long ago that prompted an investigation, though this latest court action might throw a wet towel on that whole business. Then again, that one pesky patent that the court left untouched could end up causing a lot of trouble for Nokia -- and any other 3G handset manufacturer, for that matter -- that doesn't care to cough up the licensing fees.[Via mocoNews]
Apple licenses InterDigital tech, presumably for 3G iPhone
InterDigital, a wireless technology firm better known around these parts for its imbroglios with Samsung and Nokia than any specific technological contributions, has apparently penned a seven year licensing deal with Apple, said to be worth some $56 million. Not that there was any doubt about Apple eventually releasing a 3G iPhone, but one analyst noted that "the deal covers various 2G and 3G cellular technologies", which is always an encouraging thing to hear. Of course, it's still anyone's guess as to when that device might appear, but after this week's price drop brouhaha, we think Apple might not be rushing to something else that might arouse the ire of its first adopter crowd.
InterDigital complaint prompts ITC to investigate Nokia
Remember how Samsung had to shell out a boatload of cash for infringing on InterDigital's IP related to WCDMA technology? Looks like Nokia may have to do the same. Nokia has an agreement in place over the use of InterDigital's 2G tech, but apparently not its 3G, and that's got InterDigital worked up over a pair of patents it holds. They've made enough of a stink about it to get the US International Trade Commission's attention -- you know, the folks that banned Qualcomm's chips on similar grounds -- and it's looking to get to the bottom of the sitch within the next 45 days. Nokia sounds ready to fight, saying that it'll "vigorously defend itself" against InterDigital's claims, which we figure means it has no intention of whipping out the checkbook the same way Samsung did to the tune of $134 million. We'll keep ya updated as this one develops.[Via mocoNews]
Samsung requested to pay InterDigital handsome sum
Are Samsung's BlackJack and other handsets from the Korean manufacturer using pilfered WCDMA technology? That's the most recent lawsuit claim from technology company InterDigital that was set in motion some time ago. Now, the company wants Samsung to "stop dragging its feet" and pay up like Nokia agreed to almost a year ago in terms of using WCDMA tech in certain 3G handsets. At issue is Samsung's alleged infringement on some of InterDigital's WCDMA patents inside several Samsung handsets. At stake is a settlement bill for royalty payment purposes that totals a whopping $134 million based on an earlier arbitration settlement. Samsung is required to stop importing infringing handsets as well at the bequest of InterDigital; additionally, the handset maker is chiming in for a more relaxed royalty arrangement like the one Nokia received. However, Sammy may have PO'ed InterDigital a little too far here to get any breaks.
