Tag Archives: ip

Google grows IP arsenal with mobile patents from Magnolia Broadband

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Google grows IP arsenal with mobile patents from Magnolia BroadbandIn the tech industry, you're only as safe as your latest batch of patent procurements. And Google, stuffed with billion dollar coffers, is only too happy to comply. Neatly paired with its recently wrapped Motorola acquisition, the Mountain View-based company's just expanded its intellectual property holdings with a portfolio related to mobile RF uplink solutions. Formerly the property of Magnolia Broadband, the outfit's "beamforming" tech will now undoubtedly aid the search giant's in-house manufacture of smartphone and tablet devices -- likely those of the Jellybean sort. No financial details of the transaction have been disclosed at this time, but you can bet your bottom dollar the price of this innovation didn't come cheap. Über-brief PR after the break.

Continue reading Google grows IP arsenal with mobile patents from Magnolia Broadband

Google grows IP arsenal with mobile patents from Magnolia Broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oracle v. Google: Judge finds structure of Java APIs not copyrightable, renders jury infringement verdict moot

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Thought the Oracle v. Google litigation fireworks were over? Well, if you weren't aware, during the copyright phase of the trial, the jury found that Google had infringed the structure, sequence and organization of Oracle's Java APIs. However, at the time, Judge Alsup had yet to evaluate the validity of Oracle's API copyright claims upon which that verdict was based. Today, Alsup found that Oracle's argument didn't hold water because it would expand the breadth of copyright holder's rights too far -- in essence, it would allow owners of software code to prevent others from writing different versions to perform the same functions. This ruling renders the jury's earlier infringement verdict moot, and gives Mountain View yet another courtroom victory. Despite this latest defeat, Oracle's sure to run the case up one more rung on the legal ladder, so let the countdown to the appeal begin.

Oracle v. Google: Judge finds structure of Java APIs not copyrightable, renders jury infringement verdict moot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Verge  | Email this | Comments

Intellectual Ventures’ Nathan Myhrvold defends patent trolling, calls tech industry immature

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Intellectual Ventures' Nathan Mhyrvold

Intellectual Ventures' CEO and founder Nathan Myhrvold, who previously spent some 14 years at Microsoft Research, took the stage here at D10, and as predicted, his interview with Walt Mossberg was quite the invigorating one. You may know the man and his company for its vicious patent trolling -- or, what appears to be patent trolling. In essence, a lot of its business comes from acquiring patent portfolios, and then licensing and / or suing companies to "enforce" them. Naturally, Nathan has a radically different perspective than most sane individuals on the matter, insisting that the system isn't necessarily broken, and that "making money from enforcing patents is no more wrong than investing in preferred stock."

The talk centered predominantly around how Intellectual Ventures operates, what it does, and if its CEO feels that the "rat's nest of lawsuits" -- as Walt put it -- was getting out of control. Despite saying that his company has hundreds of people working on new inventions to help deliver medicines in Africa (in response to a question from the crowd on whether his outfit was truly helping people), he confessed that suing to enforce patents was simply another method of capitalism working. Care to take a ride on the crazy train? Head on past the break for a few choice quotes from the interview.

Continue reading Intellectual Ventures' Nathan Myhrvold defends patent trolling, calls tech industry immature

Intellectual Ventures' Nathan Myhrvold defends patent trolling, calls tech industry immature originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jury issues verdict in Android suit, finds that Google doesn’t infringe Oracle patents

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It appears that the jury has come to a conclusion in the Oracle v. Google trial, determining that Android does not infringe Oracle patents. Judge William Alsup of the US District Court for Northern California exonerated the search giant following a trial that lasted three weeks, ruling that Google did not infringe on six claims in US Patent RE38,104, along two claims in US Patent 6,061,520. Jurors were dismissed following today's ruling, with the trial's damages phase reportedly set to begin on Tuesday. According to The Verge, the jury did determine that Google was responsible for two counts of minor copyright infringement, relating to the order of Java APIs and several lines of rangeCheck code, which could be matched with a maximum penalty of $150,000 for each count. Regardless, it appears that the lawsuit, which dates back to 2010, when Oracle filed against Google for copyright and patent infringement related to Sun's Java code, could finally be coming to a close.

Jury issues verdict in Android suit, finds that Google doesn't infringe Oracle patents originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo’s Stream transcoding box and IP connected extender make their debut at Cable Show 2012

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Now that TiVo has delivered updated software for its Premiere boxes its focus is turning to some new hardware accessories, including the TiVoToGo-style transcoder we saw at CES, now dubbed Stream (top), and the IP extender set-top box mentioned earlier this year (bottom). According to TiVo's press release, both boxes will be available at retail and via the various cable operators that are offering its DVRs to their customers, while availability will be announced "in the coming months". The Stream transcoder reformats live and recorded video from a Premiere DVR for viewing on mobile devices or tablets (including sideloading for offline viewing away from the home), and TiVo says it's the first to stream or download shows simultaneously to multiple devices like iPads or iPhones without interrupting what's being watched. The IP box on the other hand is all about multiroom, designed to pull in either live or recorded video from a Premiere Q plus cable VOD and internet content, similar to the existing Preview but without the CableCARD tuner. A press release follows after the break, while Zatz Not Funny has a few pics of them on the floor at this week's 2012 NCTA Cable Show.

Continue reading TiVo's Stream transcoding box and IP connected extender make their debut at Cable Show 2012

TiVo's Stream transcoding box and IP connected extender make their debut at Cable Show 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft patent application outlines system to recommend and transfer apps across devices

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Microsoft patent application for app transfers

Ready for your latest tour through the dense and meandering wording of patent applications? Well, dig in, because it's Microsoft's turn to confuse lawyers the world over with this latest USPTO doc, submitted in November of 2010. The filing describes a computer-based program that would, essentially, analyze a primary device's installed applications, cross-reference it with a different device and then either migrate that software batch or suggest similar apps to download on a secondary unit. Sounds a lot like a potential Windows Phone Marketplace recommendation / app transfer engine to us, but what exactly Redmond intends to use this pending patent for is anyone's guess. As always, if you care to sacrifice a few minutes of your life to mind-numbing legal jargon, then by all means hit up the source link below.

Microsoft patent application outlines system to recommend and transfer apps across devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon takes the lead on text to 911 services

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Verizon takes the lead on text to 911 services

The FCC first outlined its intention to allow texting to emergency services back in 2010, and since then despite more talk of accepting photo and video messages, nothing official came to be. This week, however, Verzion has taken the initiative, and announced its own plans to enable text to 911 for its customers. Working with TeleCommunication Systems, the big red hopes that it can facilitate the sending of SMS messages to emergency call-centers as soon as early 2013. Texting isn't just about adding communication options, it also provides a valuable tool to the deaf, hard of hearing and situations where talking is dangerous, or not possible. The service will use existing CDMA and SMS networks, and therefore should be available to all customers once finally rolled out.

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Verizon takes the lead on text to 911 services originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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European Patent Office invalidates IPCom 3G patent, gives good news to Nokia and HTC

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European Patent Office invalidates IPCom 3G patent, gives good news to Nokia and HTCIPCom's had its way with many mobile manufacturers, including Nokia and HTC, by suing them for patent infringement in German courts. However, the Finnish and Taiwanese firms got good news today when the European Patent Office invalidated one of its 3G patents -- the very same one it used to obtain an injunction against HTC. IPCom's not going away quietly, however, as it plans to appeal the EPO's decision. That means that the folks in Espoo and Taoyuan City aren't out of the woods yet -- but it should at least give them a bit more bargaining power in negotiations to end their (seemingly endless) legal spats.

European Patent Office invalidates IPCom 3G patent, gives good news to Nokia and HTC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pegatron licenses Microsoft’s patent portfolio for Android and Chrome devices

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Pegatron licenses Microsoft's patent portfolio for Android and Chrome devices

Microsoft may make a ton of money by selling Xboxes, operating systems, and other software to consumers , but it also pads its bottom line by monetizing its IP. Its newest patent profits will be coming from Pegatron Corp. -- a Taiwanese ODM that makes parts for a plethora of others, including Apple, ASUS and HP -- as the two companies have entered into a licensing agreement for devices running Android and Chrome OS. The agreement covers e-readers, smartphones and tablets, with Pegatron paying Redmond royalties of unknown amount. So, the Ballmer licensing bandwagon continues unabated, but we just hope all this new-found cash will be put to use creating fantastic new products instead of funding more courtroom conflicts.

Continue reading Pegatron licenses Microsoft's patent portfolio for Android and Chrome devices

Pegatron licenses Microsoft's patent portfolio for Android and Chrome devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany

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Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany
Microsoft's been waging legal war against Motorola on several fronts for some time now, and today, team Redmond scored a victory in a federal district court in Washington that'll have repercussions in Germany. The judge granted Microsoft's motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that prevents Motorola from enforcing any injunction it may obtain in the parties' parallel action in Mannheim, Germany. As a quick refresher, this litigation's all about a bundle of Moto-owned standards-essential WiFi and H.264 patents. Naturally, Motorola claims that Microsoft's infringing its IP, and has sought to stop sales of infringing products in Deutschland. Meanwhile, Microsoft contends Moto's in breach of contract because those patents haven't been made available for it to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. This latest legal victory in the US merely means that Motorola won't enforce any injunction it obtains in Mannheim -- which leaves Microsoft free and clear to peddle its wares in Germany.

Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FOSSPatents  |  sourceThe Seattle Times  | Email this | Comments