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Google Chairman 'Not Too Worried' About Apple Lawsuits Over Android

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ZDNet Asia reports on comments from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt regarding the recent flurry of lawsuits between Apple and Android-based smartphone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung. Schmidt's comments, which came at Google's Mobile Revolution conference in Tokyo, reveal that he is "not too worried" about the lawsuits as he takes a shot at Apple (and others such as Oracle and Microsoft) for suing when it "cannot respond through innovations".
Quizzed on the issue [of lawsuits targeting Android], Schmidt replied that this "legal fun" stems from its successes.

"We have seen an explosion of Android devices entering the market and, because of our successes, competitors are responding with lawsuits as they cannot respond through innovations," he said. "I'm not too worried about this."
Click to expand...
In reference to a recent preliminary victory for Apple in its infringement claims against HTC, Schmidt noted that Google will "make sure" that HTC doesn't lose the case, suggesting that Google is putting significant muscle into HTC's defense.
Asked if Google would help foot HTC's legal bills should they lose, he said: "We will make sure they don't lose, then." He added that the search giant will continue to support its Taiwanese partner in this legal skirmish but declined to go into details.
Click to expand...
Despite having been introduced to the public over a year after the launch of the original iPhone, Google's Android has seen rapid adoption as dozens of manufacturers have embraced the mobile operating system and introduced hundreds of handsets utilizing it. For the time being at least, Apple and Google are locked in a battle for smartphone supremacy, with Google having sprinted out to a lead due in large part to the variety of devices available across a host of carriers.

But with smartphones representing an increasing convergence of phones, computers, cameras, and many other technologies, they have become a battleground for patent lawsuits that have threatened to consume enormous resources as companies stake out their positions in the rapidly-expanding market.

Article Link: Google Chairman 'Not Too Worried' About Apple Lawsuits Over Android
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/19/google-chairman-not-too-worried-about-apple-lawsuits-over-android/
Of course he's not too worried...

He's not the one on the hook if they lose. Guess what, I too am not that worried, nor is anyone else in this forum. Funny how that is when you're not the one who has to pay up!
 
Is Eric T. Mole flapping his gums again?

What is it *this time*, Eric? It's not enough you ripped off Apple something serious, but you then have to point an accusatory finger at them. Apple made your market for you and for everyone else. And they're still doing it.

Apple is the one that has been doing all the "innovating" in the first place. Not little UI changes, but redefinitions of entire markets, and the creation of new ones. With stuff that at first blush baffles everyone, until Apple shows them it's "safe" to jump in.

Android would probably look like BlackBerry OS (just look at the original screenshots) if iOS hadn't been released. But Eric was taking notes at those board meetings.

First came the iPhone. Then, out of nowhere, everything else looked like an iPhone. Everyone else introduced an App Store modelled on the REAL App Store.

Apple releases the iPad. Then every other tablet out there (the also-rans suddenly got back into the game, I wonder why) started looking like an iPad. Well, alright, they *tried* to look like an iPad. But all they really provide is comic relief in doing so.

No wonder Steve was monumentally pissed at Eric.

Apple has been getting ripped off since 2007. They are now responding because there is too much out there that violates their IP. The infringements have reached critical mass. Apple is now looking to clean up the game. This is normal.
 
Hopefully Schmidt has an account here like he does at Ai. It is good fun.

Google is going to put ALL of their muscle behind HTC!. I bet other then Schmidts comment, no one at google is actually doing anything specific to the HTC case.
 
Android innovate? I do have an android but I laugh at it's innovation and crappy manufacturer implementations. Android is a frigging java virtual machine. It can't even sync audio properly. I no longer have an iphone but it kicked androids but in terms of stability and battery life.
 
Google is perhaps the most arrogant company on the face of this planet. It's starting to annoy me.
 
"competitors are responding with lawsuits as they cannot respond through innovations"

Oh really? Apple did innovate - and doing so, changed the very definition of a smartphone. They are now simply trying to protect their investment.
 
Wirelessly posted (Iphone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

I like how google and samsung are using a similar technique of saying "nuh uh, we're not copying you, you just need to innovate more". Neither group tries to argue their innovating, just that apple needs to innovate more, and sue less, apparently so they have more things to copy.

Copying iOS isn't providing consumers choice, choice would be the competitors providing a novel product for customers to CHOOSE between.
 
Then again they don't care about Android (selecting which partners to give the next system to, not releasing the sources (talk about open), not offering a homogeneous and stable platform for devs, and difficulty in bringing all devices to the latest OS) as long as Internet usage keeps increasing (their business).

One stat I would love to see though is the profits made in the smartphone business by manufacturer. Now that Android devices are booming the manufacturers involved should show great profit.... Right?!
 
OMG Douche

"...cannot respond through innovations..."

What? Please, Google why don't you practice what you preach!?
 
Oh for the naysayers and people with their panties in a twist - he responded as a CEO of Google SHOULD respond. You can not like it all you want... but from a PR stand point it was exactly what and how it should be said.

When Jobs said something in a similar vane (about protecting their assets) most people on here applauded him.

This is no different and is great politics.

BTW - anyone who thinks that Android is going to die because of HTC's "skirmish" is deluding themselves.
 
Fight or Lose 'em...

Oh like Google wouldn't fervently protect its patents? I think they would throw the weight of their legal staff at anyone attempting to infringe on patents.

If you don't fight infringers, your patents could be weakened--that's the way law works in the USA.

Schmidt's actually a lousy spin-doctor and we can all see right through it. Let's face, there are few companies as or more innovative than Apple.
 
Also, I have to laugh at the face that Android has had SO long to learn from Apple, what they (Android) are doing wrong. My work gave me a Galaxy S months ago...which I was forced to use exclusively during a recent road trip..I almost threw it out of the window.
 
*LTD* said:
Is Eric T. Mole flapping his gums again?

What is it *this time*, Eric? It's not enough you ripped off Apple something serious, but you then have to point an accusatory finger at them. Apple made your market for you and for everyone else. And they're still doing it.

Apple is the one that has been doing all the "innovating" in the first place. Not little UI changes, but redefinitions of entire markets, and the creation of new ones. With stuff that at first blush baffles everyone, until Apple shows them it's "safe" to jump in.

Android would probably look like BlackBerry OS (just look at the original screenshots) if iOS hadn't been released. But Eric was taking notes at those board meetings.

First came the iPhone. Then, out of nowhere, everything else looked like an iPhone. Everyone else introduced an App Store modelled on the REAL App Store.

Apple releases the iPad. Then every other tablet out there (the also-rans suddenly got back into the game, I wonder why) started looking like an iPad. Well, alright, they *tried* to look like an iPad. But all they really provide is comic relief in doing so.

No wonder Steve was monumentally pissed at Eric.

Apple has been getting ripped off since 2007. They are now responding because there is too much out there that violates their IP. The infringements have reached critical mass. Apple is now looking to clean up the game. This is normal.
Click to expand...

You are my new man crush.......... :)
 
Google's Business Method

This advertising company has one modus operandi:

See what's going on, and copy it, then give it away for free, cutting the legs out from under most competitors. Make the troll mob feel good by saying "Open" at every opportunity.

Patent cases are what patent trolls do? A lot of the time. But Apple's using the law pretty much the way it was intended: innovate, patent the innovation, and then make the copiers pay.
 
How far would google go to prevent HTC from losing a lawsuit? Bribe the courts, hire hitmen, buy Apple?
 
So what exactly is innovative about Android? It doesn't exactly have some breakthrough innovative thing that hasn't been done before. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but this is just a sound bite and not a real argument. Unfortunately the media and people at large digest pithy sound bites over actual fact.
 
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