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German Court Issues Sales Ban on Select iPhones Violating Qualcomm Patent, Apple Plans to Appeal [Updated]
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This isn't even a victory for crap com They gained nothing by doing this. They actually lost because they are just pissing off a potential customer.
QCOM needs Apple. Apple doesn't need them...at all pretty soon.
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Semi-unrelated but MacRumors tagged the Chinese article about this as political (which I think is bullsh*t), yet this one is not? MR, get your tags sorted.
Maybe Apple will claim here too that it will force a settlement, and therefore should be appealed. I think Apple totally missed the point.
Maybe Apple will claim here too that it will force a settlement, and therefore should be appealed. I think Apple totally missed the point.
This sounds awfully familiar, like remember when Apple decided to disobey'court order from the UK high court and kept misleading messages on their UK website about their legal loss against Samsung? Maybe Apple needs more spanking.
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I agree with the sentiment, but Qualcomm hails from San Diego, not Silicon Valley.
While I won't necessarily disagree, the point of my post was that both companies are screwing customers. Apple ends up with Intel modems, while Qualcomm gouges every company. Regardless, customers lose.
A court in Germany today ruled that some iPhone models equipped with Intel modems infringe on a Qualcomm hardware patent, and issued a preliminary injunction on those devices, according to Reuters and CNBC. However, the reports claim the ruling will not go into immediate effect if Apple appeals, and it almost certainly will.
Matthias Zigann, the judge presiding over the case, ruled that iPhones that contain a combination of chips from Intel and Apple supplier Qorvo violated one of Qualcomm's patents around so-called "envelope tracking," a feature that helps preserve battery life when sending and receiving wireless signals.
The preliminary injunction would prevent affected iPhones, excluding the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, from being sold in Germany.
Last week, a Chinese court also issued a preliminary injunction on the iPhone 6s through iPhone X after the court found those devices violated two separate Qualcomm patents related to app management and photo editing. Apple continues to sell those iPhone models in China, though, despite the ruling.
Apple said it believes it is in compliance with the Chinese court order, but it later released iOS 12.1.2 with minor changes to address the Qualcomm patents, including a new animation for force closing apps and tweaked settings for contact and wallpaper images. The changes were only made in China.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Qualcomm's chief lawyer Don Rosenberg said that Apple continues to "flout the legal system" by violating the preliminary injunction in China and by releasing misleading statements about the ruling.
Apple called Qualcomm's efforts in China "another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world," and said that "Apple and many other companies, consumers, and government will suffer truly irreparable harm" if the sales ban were to be upheld.
The litigation in Germany and China is part of a larger legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm. Last year, Apple accused Qualcomm of anticompetitive business practices related to licensing fees, while Qualcomm has accused Apple of sharing its trade secrets with Intel, its new modem supplier in iPhones.
In the U.S., the FTC filed a complaint against Qualcomm over its business practices last year. The case is set to go to trial in California next month.
Update: Apple has confirmed that it plans to appeal the ruling. In the meantime, it is pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its shelves at its retail stores in Germany, but not resellers or carriers.
Article Link: German Court Issues Sales Ban on Select iPhones Violating Qualcomm Patent, Apple Plans to Appeal [Updated]
All these GUI concepts were in sci-fi movies and in BeOS/Palm years ago. Qualcomm is just pissed they lost business.
Just like when someone say Apple is ridiculous to have been awarded vs Samsung because of patented rounded corners...
Some patents are really stupid.
Unless Qualcomm intends to disperse of its engineering staff and majority of its product line-up, that's a pretty tough case to make.
Suing over patents does not a troll make.
Actually more than just an adage--Death by a 1000 Cuts was a form of execution in China used up until the early 1900s.
It was called Lingchi, (pronounced ling chrr) They'd tie you vertically to a tree or post, and using sharp knives carve off strips of your flesh millimeter by millimeter all the way down to the bone avoiding arteries so you stayed alive for all the fun. It took hours.
If you bribed the executioners they might give you opium or something, but for the most
part it was horrifically painful and cruel (duh.) The masses loved watching it though. Bring the kiddies peanuts and popcorn--hey, sort of like our forum here!
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"Update: Apple has confirmed that it plans to appeal the ruling. In the meantime, it is pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its shelves at its retail stores in Germany, but not resellers or carriers."
ok, well.. at least Apple is going is part of the ruling at least if not fully yet. A shaky start? seems to go in Apple's favor since they do this. 'while' its ongoing. I guess companies just wanna get more 'bang for their buck'
ok, well.. at least Apple is going is part of the ruling at least if not fully yet. A shaky start? seems to go in Apple's favor since they do this. 'while' its ongoing. I guess companies just wanna get more 'bang for their buck'
Only problem: nobody in Germany buys the new iPhones. The discounted iPhone X phones are the only one really still selling. The rest is so absurdly expensive that nobody can afford them anymore.
Data to prove "nobody" buy the new phones in Germany? (lol)
Remember, this still only impacts 15 Apple stores. If they want the 7 or 8, they can go to the carrier locations.
"Nobody can afford them?"
217M iPhones sold at an ASP of $761. People can afford them fine. The numbers show that.
Only speculation drives what you're saying and we'll see when the real numbers come out and everyone is (again) wrong.
Qualcomm actually forces Samsung and other makers, who have their own modems available, to use Qualcomm, because they have an exclusive on Verizon, and that means if you want to sell in the US, they have to use Qualcomm. It's as simple as that. Other modems are better. You want to sell here, you use Qualcomm. Monopolism at its worst.
No doubt Apple is infiringing on the patents. They were paying Qualcomm license fees for their use.
The problems all arose when Qualcomm tried to set up and unfair deal and charge Apple fees based on the ‘full’ price of their phones rather than a standard flat rate for everyone.
They couldn’t agree on what to pay and Apple stopped paying them all together, intending to go to court or make Qualcomm drop their unfair pricing. Qualcomm sued them instead.
