Apple Loses Patent Infringement Suit, Ordered to Pay $533 Million | Rolling Stone

Apple Loses Patent Infringement Suit, Ordered to Pay $533 Million | Rolling Stone:

It seems apropos that Rolling Stone would have a great report on the iTunes (Apple) law suit loss to the tune of 1/2 billion dollar$. The loss rules that Apple did infringe on the 6 patents related to the storing and accessing of songs, videos and games.

In the suit that might well be called the the Apple vs. the Troll, the ruling was that Apple not only infringed, but willingly did so and consequently results in the terrible treble-damages penalty that makes patents such a powerful weapon.

The other company is Smartflash. This is a non-practicing entity (NPE), that might unkindly be called a patent troll.

Apple plans to appeal. Smartflash is aiming for the iPhone and iPad sales/profits because those devices actually play iTunes music that is subject to the infringing patents.

Imagine how many billion paid downloads from iTunes it takes to make up a $0.5B to pay the fine.? WoW.

This could get uglier and uglier.

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Courthouse News: Marvell at this. $1.17B x 3 is almost Comic!

Courthouse News Service:

A chip maker, Marvel Technology Group, just lost a $1.17B law suit for stealing the technology of Carnegie Mellon University.

One has to marvel at this company's antics, a company that trades by the symbol MRVL, and should in no way be confused with the comic company, although its antics carry both intrigue and humor.

You might call them the Chip Pirates of the Caribbean given their off-short headquarters in Bermuda. Their not chip makers, they are chip takers. [Insert poker chip puns here.]

The settlement as to the $1.17B law suit is still to be determine. Because of the willful and continued infringement, MRVL is subject to treble damages of $3.51B. (Half of the current market cap.) Plus they now are required to license the technology that they "borrowed" for so many years at a whopping $.50 per $2 chip sold which will chip away at the profits. The royalty payments are probably 25% of the company's profits.

I like that MRVL's own chips -- in infringed chips -- were the but of jokes internally. Because you wouldn't want to use them in any electronic devise, the next best use for them is as "coffee warmers"!:-)

Even though there have been penalties and sanctions by the SEC, these rouge execs are still in power and still making big salaries.

However, shareholders have taken up a class law suit against the execs Satardja and Dai, attesting: "damages for breach of fiduciary duty, failure to maintain adequate controls, and unjust enrichment and breach of duty of honest services"

This is the story line from crime-fighting comic books. One has to marvel at it!

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Vringo Requests Court to Increase Royalty against Google + AOL

Vringo Requests Court to Increase Royalty Rate to Be Paid by Google, AOL | Fox Business: "Vringo Requests Court to Increase Royalty "

Ouch. The royalty rates on AdWords by Google & ads by AOL could really get expensive.

Google has kept a competitive advantage because of their bid-to-ad technology. That's where they have historically made most of their money.

The computation formula would be based on 20.9% of Googles adword revenue as the base. And 3.5% of that... That is only 0.7315%. So less than 1% of Google's AdWords. Still lots of millions.

This looks like it will start to get expensive for them and AOL to keep using the technology owned by Vringo. Huge winnings already in place but aiming for a 7% royalty going forward.

Wow. This could get to be interesting.

Keywords: patent, Vringo, Google, AOL, AdWord, willful, infringe, court

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Apple-Samsung Case Muddies Future of Innovation - NYTimes.com

Apple-Samsung Case Muddies Future of Innovation - NYTimes.com:

Oh boy, this is gonna get ugly. Especially if you are in the habit of ripping off other companies technology.

Samsung, just got smacked down hard. A $1B verdict is just the beginning. Apple will of course, try to get treble damages for "willful" infringement of Apple's technology. But the $1B is only the beginning. On September 20, the hearing (resumes) related to an injunction of the sales of Samsung's offending products.

One would assume that the new Samsung line (Galaxy) does not infringe, but that too may soon become subject to tighter scrutiny.

Faced with injunctions or licensing Apples technology, that is the issue that will be confronting players in the market, including Google.

The war chests of patents are: Apple; Samsung (kinda); Google (now with Motorola wireless that they seem to have bought primarily for the patent portfolio); and Microsoft (now with a boat load -- $1B worth actually -- of patents from AOL).

Who else is there. RIMM? Palm's technology that went to HP is dwindling fast.

Of course, Samsung is appealing. But it's outlook is not, well, appealing. And this loss in the US, is going to seriously shape the face of the screen in there rest of the world.

Samsung is down 7% in Asian trading on Monday Aug. 27, 2012. Expect Apple to open up big on Hurricane Isaac Monday.


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Apple vs. Samsung Patent War Fails to Block U.S. Launch of Galaxy S3 - iTech Post

Apple vs. Samsung Patent War Fails to Block U.S. Launch of Galaxy S3 - iTech Post:

The Smart Phone war is just beginning.

With the consolidation from Google (Motorola wireless)...

Microsoft (AOL patents)...

It's gonna be tough for other payers to survive in the Smartphone and ?related? markets.
RIMM (Blackberry) and Nokia are really starting to struggle. I wonder how much of that is patent starvation.

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