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Apple Wins Victory Against Motorola After ITC Invalidates Sensor Patent

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple has won a small victory in its long standing case against Google's Motorola, reports Bloomberg, after the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) upheld an earlier invalidation of a patent that threatened imports of the iPhone 4 into the U.S.
The decision marks the latest instance in which neither Cupertino, California-based Apple nor Google has been able to strike a decisive blow against its competitor in a squabble that began more than two years ago. Each has claimed the other is infringing patents, and Apple accused Motorola Mobility of breaching obligations to license some of its most widely used technology on fair terms.
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apple_motorola_logos.jpg
Patent No. 6,246,862 references a "sensor controlled user interface for portable communication device," or the sensor in the iPhone that prevents the phone from being activated when close to a user's face.

The dispute between Motorola and Apple began in 2010 after Motorola filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the Cupertino-based company infringed on eighteen of Motorola's patents. After being acquired by Google, Motorola expanded its charges against Apple, stating that the company violated six patents having to do with iCloud.

The patent that was invalidated today is the final patent in the above mentioned case, with all other charges against Apple previously cleared by the ITC. Google will likely appeal the decision, thus further extending the litigation between the two companies.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Scola chastised Apple and Google for their patent disagreements, stating that the two had "no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute." He gave the companies four months to streamline the case before it would be put on hold.

Article Link: Apple Wins Victory Against Motorola After ITC Invalidates Sensor Patent
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/04/22/apple-wins-victory-against-motorola-after-itc-invalidates-sensor-patent/
M

monkor

macrumors regular
May 25, 2012
169
1
Both companies are starting to chafe my cheeks with the litigation storm.

That being said: 'Murica.
 
C

commander.data

macrumors 65816
Nov 10, 2006
1,057
183
Macrolido said:
And the thermonuclear war goes on...
Click to expand...
The difference seems to be that in thermonuclear war the result is pretty decisive, basically the end of the war and pretty much life as we know it on Earth. These legal cases however, drag on for years with little to show for it with everything being reassessed, appealed, invalidated, re-instated, etc.
 
M

Millah

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2008
866
515
This is a legitimate question, did Motorola ever have phones with proximity sensors that turned off the display like the iPhones implementation before Apple? Or is this just a broad patent that patents the idea of using any sensor at all, in any implementation, on a mobile phone?
 
Rajani Isa

Rajani Isa

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2010
1,161
72
Rogue Valley, Oregon
Rocketman said:
Simplifying cases is a concept with no basis in law. It is an inappropriate judicial case management tactic.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=17129273#post17129273

Parties are entitled to resolve each and every outstanding dispute.

Wanna make courts work? Simplify the process not the disputes. Motion in Limine as a baseline MO.

Rocketman
Click to expand...
At the same time, if the judge feels they are abusing the court - which apparently he does - he's free to impose penalties.
 
ThunderSkunk

ThunderSkunk

macrumors 68040
Dec 31, 2007
3,814
4,036
Milwaukee Area
A hundred years from now, we won't be using anything that resembles any of these devices, making all this fighting over obsolete patents seem pretty ridiculous.
 
tdtran1025

tdtran1025

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2011
275
0
You two better quit it. The way to beat the competition is by making your stuff better. OK, the world knows Google stole some ideas from you initially, and competitions sometimes resort to that. Yet if, yes you Apple, prdies on innovation, go do your stuff, because Google has gown out of copycatting puberty period now. Besides, Samsung is your 800-lb gorilla.
 
Saladinos

Saladinos

macrumors 68000
Feb 26, 2008
1,845
4
Apple (and Microsoft) have been making a lot of wins lately, and Google and their partners have been suffering a lot of losses.

There's even talk that Microsoft is about to get Google Maps banned in Germany. Apple's win over Samsung was too drawn out (and even now hasn't resulted in an injunction), but this is a real nuclear bomb as far as Google are concerned.

If Google are forced to settle with Microsoft, the whole game is turned on its head. Any deal with inevitably involve a patent royalty attached to Android.

At the same time, Microsoft is about to get a license to Motorola's patents. A US Judge has apparently set a FRAND rate for Motorola's standard-essential patents that MS wasn't already licensed to. Microsoft have already agreed to pay the court-determined rate.

The terms of that are going to be released this Friday. If Apple like them, they can also take a license at that same rate. They could also appeal for a lower rate based on invalidations or whatever if they don't like them.

So yeah, it's heating up.
 
M

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
It seems that there's no end to Apple's new habit of using litigation as a sales & marketing tool. Headlines are something Apple has always used to their advantage. Going forward I'm sure they'll continue to prevail. It's a core strength for them.
 
6

64Mario64

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2013
192
2
ThunderSkunk said:
A hundred years from now, we won't be using anything that resembles any of these devices, making all this fighting over obsolete patents seem pretty ridiculous.
Click to expand...

But they're not obsolete now. If you want to use that terrible logic, gimme your car because it will be useless in the future.
 
N

newagemac

macrumors 68020
Mar 31, 2010
2,091
23
maxosx said:
It seems that there's no end to Apple's new habit of using litigation as a sales & marketing tool. Headlines are something Apple has always used to their advantage. Going forward I'm sure they'll continue to prevail. It's a core strength for them.
Click to expand...

Say what??? This is a lawsuit that Motorola/Google brought against Apple. Try paying better attention next time. Nice trolling attempt though. Unfortunately, no one's buying it.
 
6

64Mario64

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2013
192
2
"Patent No. 6,246,862 references a "sensor controlled user interface for portable communication device," or the sensor in the iPhone that prevents the phone from being activated when close to a user's face."

That's actually one of the features that "wows" me when I use the iPhone. It's a pretty specific patent that deserves to be upheld if Motorola really invented it.

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maxosx said:
It seems that there's no end to Apple's new habit of using litigation as a sales & marketing tool. Headlines are something Apple has always used to their advantage. Going forward I'm sure they'll continue to prevail. It's a core strength for them.
Click to expand...

Lawsuits have nothing to do with marketing. Could you quit your trolling and go to androidauthority.com or something? You didn't even read the article anyway. Once you do (and see who is suing whom), you'll shut up really quickly.

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Saladinos said:
There's even talk that Microsoft is about to get Google Maps banned in Germany. Apple's win over Samsung was too drawn out (and even now hasn't resulted in an injunction), but this is a real nuclear bomb as far as Google are concerned.
Click to expand...

What??? If Microsoft makes any claims that they invented any pixel of Bing.com, that's utter BS. They basically stole Google, the entire company.
 
M

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
newagemac said:
Say what??? This is a lawsuit that Motorola/Google brought against Apple. Try paying better attention next time. Nice trolling attempt though. Unfortunately, no one's buying it.
Click to expand...

If you had read my post, you would have seen that I did _NOT_ talk specifically about who sued who, in this... one, of many legal battles Apple is involved in. Some of which they originated, some of which they did not. Only those following Apple closely would know that.

Interesting how you seem to think so highly of yourself, that you can speak for others, then resort to juvenile name calling. Perhaps that's just the tactic it took to make you feel better. If so, good for you :)
 
Rajani Isa

Rajani Isa

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2010
1,161
72
Rogue Valley, Oregon
maxosx said:
If you had read my post, you would have seen that I did _NOT_ talk specifically about who sued who, in this... one, of many legal battles Apple is involved in. Some of which they originated, some of which they did not. Only those following Apple closely would know that.

Interesting how you seem to think so highly of yourself, that you can speak for others, then resort to juvenile name calling. Perhaps that's just the tactic it took to make you feel better. If so, good for you :)
Click to expand...
The way you posted, however, implied that you thought THIS lawsuit was originated by Apple.
 
SockRolid

SockRolid

macrumors 68000
Jan 5, 2010
1,560
118
Almost Rock Solid
Apple: "(yawn...) So what's for lunch?"

Motorola: "Dang. Why can't we win against Apple ever?"

Google: "Is it too late to dump Motorola and get our $12.5 billion back?"
 
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