Keeping yourself from an obvious disadvantage in court cases is dumb, how?At first I thought, this was an April fool's joke, but then checked the Calendar.
This is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in a while.
Keeping yourself from an obvious disadvantage in court cases is dumb, how?At first I thought, this was an April fool's joke, but then checked the Calendar.
This is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in a while.
Your description of a Ptent troll describes Apple almost, considering the thousand of parents they have and never use..
Screw Texas. They really do need to become their own country like they want.
It’s the bias of these courts against Apple and other similar companies that doesn’t exist anywhere. The question to ask is why would a company from the east cost file in a very specific district in Texas?I'm curious why? does having a store in that region open themselves up to lawsuits/patent suits that they wouldn't necessarily be open to elsewhere?
if Company X owned Patent Y, couldn't they still sue apple in east texas even if there's no stores there? or is this just Apple throwing a hissy fit at East texas and taking their ball and going home in effort to change social opinion?
nvm, saw above properly. reading fail
I really don't see the point. Patent holders are going to sue, troll or not, because they own tha patent. Same thing Apple has done with several of their non-used patents (See RockStar consortium which Apple is a founder on)
It’s the bias of these courts against Apple and other similar companies that doesn’t exist anywhere. The question to ask is why would a company from the east cost file in a very specific district in Texas?
but Willow Bend has struggled to exist since day one (just after the 9-11 attacks). This won't help the mall.
[doublepost=1550857823][/doublepost]What's to stop the troll from also moving too?
Apple plans to close both of its retail stores within the Eastern District of Texas in a few months from now in an effort to protect itself from patent trolls, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
Apple Willow Bend in Plano, Texas and Apple Stonebriar in Frisco, Texas, both located in the northern suburbs of Dallas, are expected to permanently close in mid April. One source said each store's final day of business will be Friday, April 12. Employees were briefed about the plans earlier this week.
To continue to serve the region, Apple plans to open a new store at the Galleria Dallas shopping mall in Dallas, just south of the Eastern District of Texas border. One source said the store will open Saturday, April 13.
A rough visualization of Apple's retail stores in the Eastern District of Texas and its upcoming Galleria Dallas store
The plans are significant, as U.S. law states that patent infringement lawsuits may be filed "where the defendant has committed acts of infringement and has a regular and established place of business." By closing its stores in Eastern Texas, Apple is ending its established place of business in the district.
Residency is also a factor in determining the applicable venue of a patent infringement lawsuit, but in May 2017, the Supreme Court shifted precedent by ruling that a U.S. corporation resides only in its state of incorporation. Apple is incorporated in California, not Texas, satisfying this clause.
The Eastern District of Texas has been a hotbed for patent litigation over the past few decades due to well-established rules for patent infringement cases, experienced judges, lower probability of cases being transferred to another district, and quicker jury verdicts, according to a SMU Dedman School of Law paper.
Patent infringement lawsuits against Apple will likely shift to U.S. district courts in Northern California and Delaware.
Fortunately, we're hearing that the plans, while inconvenient, are not too detrimental for employees. One source said Apple has offered employees opportunities to transfer to other stores, work from home for AppleCare, or severance.
Apple has yet to publicly announce the plans. We reached out to Apple for comment late Thursday but have yet to hear back.
Article Link: Apple Plans to Close Stores in Eastern District of Texas in Fight Against Patent Trolls
Well, you had to put your own personal spin on this. If they were violating patents, moving court wouldn't help, because _every_ court would order them to pay if they were found violating patents. So it's obvious to anyone except you that Apple does this to avoid a total biassed and troll-friendly court, and wants a regular court with a fair and unbiassed judge.Funny what’s considered a patent troll these days, but basically I see this as Apple claiming they can’t win as they are violating these patents, so they’ll move districts to avoid any court cases being raised against them. Unless they are the patent troll raising them..
You go Apple with your round corners on a black or white oblong..
They are welcome to move and sue in another court, run by a not so troll-friendly judge.[doublepost=1550857823][/doublepost]What's to stop the troll for also moving too?
Plano/Frisco is for those who can't afford the Park Cities / Dallas proper.
How exactly does Google fit the mold for having a physical presence in the district?I dunno. Same reason Apple and Rockstar did in east texas against google back in 2014.
favourable courts to patent holders.
And why does every Apple hater on this board complain about Apple's move?If the rules truly are applied equally everywhere, then why does every single patent troll file there?
I'd go even narrower than that. Trolls are entities that buy low-value IP on the cheap and assert it to get cost-of-litigation or nuisance settlements.
According to your definition, research universities and grant-giving organizations would be "trolls," but they aren't. Also, I think investors that do their due diligence, properly value the patents, and only assert the high quality stuff seeking to get get legitimate licensing revenue are not trolls.
Vote in better politicians.
Once again, trying to skirt the law.
Although the "patent trolls" hammer for every infringement it makes on other's IP, the fact is is frequently stealing other's IP. Verified by the number of patent cases won against them.
Bottom line: steals IP and doesn't want to pay for it. Enhancing people's lives... Theirs.
He's Texan, not smart...
[doublepost=1550857823][/doublepost]What's to stop the troll from also moving too?
This is excellent news. With any luck, this will embolden other companies to follow suit.
Not sure if you're aware, but... we don't vote for federal judges...
How exactly does Google fit the mold for having a physical presence in the district?
As to the latter part, how favorable they are to "trolls" is debatable. There are reports from Lexology, which meticulously tracks patent case statistics, which say that final outcomes in EDTX aren't that different from the average of the rest of the country. But EDTX judges are reluctant to transfer cases, are reluctant to grant summary judgment, and have a very liberal view of discovery - all things that make the process of litigation plaintiff-friendly. But as I said at first, does any of that matter if final outcomes are still on par with other districts?
Coming from the company that buys other companies outright to maintain technological exclusivity
It all just goes to show how ridiculously biased the judicial system is. Everything you were taught as a kid about justice being blind is nonsense. It's about race, religion, politics, sex, etc.
Stop, please. There are legitimate patent lawsuits. Even against companies you love, like Apple.
To clarify, since people don't understand: THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT PATENT TROLLS. THIS INVOLVES ANY AND ALL PATENT INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS AGAINST APPLE.
Apple made a strategical move (which other companies are very likely to make as well) to make winning a patent infringement suit harder by removing a favorable venue. As Apple, I can't really criticize the move. I would do so as well if I were in their position. But I am really curious what this is going to do to the eastern district of Tx. I can't see any large tech companies staying there that aren't incorporated there.
This is like when states make over-generalized limits on how much you can recover from a medical malpractice case: it's not just about the bad players, it affects all players including the people who legit suffered large damages.
I wish people would get over their biases, and the circle jerk over patents.
Playing devil's advocate, if the patent holder shows a valid patent in court why shouldn't they quickly and almost always win?
Why is it the court's job to waste taxpayer money to fix the broken patent system for the benefit of private companies?
If the patent office did it's job properly in the first place the Texas court could focus on serving local people.