legal - Android Community

Tagged: legal

Apple publishes “Samsung didn’t copy iPad” statement (but points out not everyone agrees)

By Chris Davies
on 26 Oct, 2012

Apple has followed court orders and publicly published acknowledgement of a UK court ruling that Samsung did not copy the iPad, though there's a sting in the tail. The statement - which is linked from the Apple UK homepage, but you may have to hunt a little to find it since it's buried right down at the footer - sticks to the court-mandated minimum font size, but also takes the opportunity to remind readers that courts elsewhere in the world thought differently.

Oracle loses again, ordered to pay Google’s legal fees

By Cory Gunther
on 7 Jun, 2012

More bad news is being handed down to the folks at Oracle this week. After completely losing the legal battle with Google over Android and their Java code it looks like they've now been ordered to shell out some serious cash and pay back Google for all those pesky legal fees. Double win for Android!

Valve’s Portal for Android port canceled due to legal issues

By Cory Gunther
on 8 Mar, 2012

For all those fans of Valve's extremely popular and mind stimulating game Portal, we have some bad news. After tons of excitement of the possibility of Portal being ported to Android, and tons of progress not to mention playable levels from the developers it has apparently been canceled. This was being ported by a few genius developers out of Russia but after some legal threats all bets are off.

Oracle vs Google Android lawsuit to End

By Chris Burns
on 7 Sep, 2011

It's been over a year since we first reported that Oracle was looking into a suit against Google for its perceived infringement of their Java code, and we've finally come to a point where it appears that both parties are willing to reach, maybe, perhaps, a settlement. This settlement may well come in this newest announced move for a mediation meeting between representatives from Google and representatives from Oracle, this newest move sparking talk about how serious Google is taking the case and questions over whether or not they're prepared to defend themselves in a case that could, ultimately, believe it or not, end up in the destruction of Android as we know it today.

Google Offices Raided by Korean Fair Trade Commission

By Chris Burns
on 6 Sep, 2011

It appears that Google's Seoul offices have been raided today by Korean trustbusters looking for information on the possible stoppering of search opponents in the company's mobile operating system Android. Search engine company NHN (popular in the area) and Daum Communications this past April asked the country's Fair Trade Commission to investigate Google's mobile search business practices. It appears that this request may well have been the source of the raid this week, and Google has responded with compliance and assurances to the public that they've got no ill willing code in play that would make their OS an unfair playing field.

Samsung: Australian Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales will go ahead

By Chris Davies
on 2 Aug, 2011

Samsung has denied that the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is on hold in Australia, clarifying that the company's agreement with Apple only covers the US version of the tablet. According to Samsung's official statement, given to AusDroid, the original Apple complaint covered "a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 variant that Samsung Electronics had no plans of selling in Australia." The Korean company says that, as indicated in reports yesterday, the settlement between it and Apple was "a mutual agreement" rather than a court injunction. That agreement only concerns the contentious US version of the slate, whereas the Australian variant is presumably different so as to avoid infringing Apple patents. Samsung, therefore, will push ahead with its Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch schedule, saying that the 10-inch model will be released soon. A hearing in Australia has been scheduled for August 29 to review the status of the localized suit.

Apple Inc. filed a complaint with the Federal Court of Australia involving a Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 variant that Samsung Electronics had no plans of selling in Australia. No injunction was issued by the court and the parties in the case reached a mutual agreement which stipulates that the variant in question will not be sold in Australia. A Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 for the Australian market will be released in the near future. This undertaking does not affect any other Samsung smartphone or tablet available in the Australian market or other countries. Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communication business.

[Thanks Dy4me!]

Embattled Google lawyer says that patents are hurting innovation and leaving Google to sort through the mess

By Shane McGlaun
on 27 Jul, 2011

Google is currently facing multiple patent battles as the amount of litigation against the popular Android OS continues to grow. Google's Eric Schmidt says that he's not too worried about the litigation, but at least one person on the Google legal team seems to be bothered by the litigation. At the same time Larry Page, Google CEO, insists that the patent situation isn't critical.

Amazon Appstore saved from Apple injunction attack

By Chris Davies
on 7 Jul, 2011

Apple's demands to have Amazon barred from describing its Android software download store as an "app store" have been rejected, with courts throwing out an injunction request this week. While US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton didn't necessarily agree with Amazon's claims that the term had become generic, Reuters reports, she nonetheless felt that Apple had failed to establish the necessary "likelihood of confusion" required for an injunction to be the appropriate response. The decision falls in line with predictions late last month, where Judge Hamilton warned Apple that their case had likely been insufficient. She had said she was "troubled" by what Apple had brought before her, however, with the Cupertino company's approach being that Amazon's use of "app store" could "confuse and mislead customers." With a quick fix no longer possible, it now looks like Apple and Amazon's legal battle will end up going through the courts properly. A trial date of October 2012 has been set.

Microsoft scores another Android patent deal as license pressures ramp

By Chris Davies
on 27 Jun, 2011

Android device manufacturer General Dynamics Itronix has agreed a patent licensing deal with Microsoft, the latest company to cough up cash despite many assuming that Android, being open-source, liberates them from patent concerns. According to the rather smug Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft, the deal "is an example of how industry leaders address intellectual property." That certainly seems a snub to other Android OEMs yet to ink patent contracts with Microsoft. It's unclear what exact patents the agreement covers, at this stage, though Microsoft has been vocal in the past about the misconception that Android is a "free" OS because Google made it open-source. "Android has a patent fee" CEO Steve Ballmer said back in 2010, "it's not like Android’s free. You do have to license patents. HTC’s signed a license with us and you’re going to see license fees clearly for Android as well as for Windows." Earlier this year it was suggested that HTC pays Microsoft $5 for every Android device the company sells. In fact, Citi analyst Walter Pritchard suggested, Microsoft made more from indirect Android handset sales that it did from licensing Windows Phone to its own OEMs.

Android devs hit by Lodsys in-app patent legal threats

By Chris Davies
on 27 May, 2011

The patent holder targeting iOS App Store developers over their use of in-app purchasing systems has apparently turned its attention to Android developers now, with at least one coder claiming to have received a legal threat over their software. Lodsys grabbed headlines after issuing independent App Store developers with demands for patent licensing over some of the technologies used in in-app purchasing systems, despite Apple having already licensed those patents. "We recently implemented in-app purchases for our Android application" Android developer markusn82 writes, "and several weeks later we received a letter from Lodsys, claiming that we infringed on their patents." So far we're yet to hear from any other developers similarly targeted. Apple has announced its intent to support iOS developers, arguing that it licenses the Lodsys patents under an agreement that allows it to offer the resulting technologies to its business partners and customers. The expectation is that Google will take a similar stance. [via MacRumors]