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It’s not how Google would have wanted to end one of its best weeks ever.
On the last day of a stellar Google I/O conference, where the search and software giant unveiled a slew of new products including Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, rival Apple successfully blocked the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
That’s the Jelly Bean-capable phone — currently, the only Jelly Bean-capable phone — which Google had been handing out all week to developers.
U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh, based in San Jose, just down the road from Apple’s Cupertino campus, granted Apple the preliminary injunction Friday afternoon in an ongoing patent dispute. It won’t go into effect until Apple posts a $96 million bond, meant to cover damages Samsung would have incurred from lost sales if Koh ultimately rules in favor of the Nexus.
But given how swiftly Apple moved to post the bond that blocked sales of another Samsung product, the Galaxy Tab, earlier this week — indeed, given how much of its considerable war chest Apple has been sinking into this Samsung patent battle — we don’t expect that $96 million hurdle to hold Apple up for long.
So if you were thinking about buying a Galaxy Nexus, currently available in Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) flavor, now would be the time.
The significance of the Galaxy Nexus cannot be overstated. It is the only Android phone on the market that runs pure Android; the phone carriers haven’t put any of their own layers of software (known as “skins”) over it. It was the first phone to launch with Ice Cream Sandwich, and the only one (alongside the Nexus S) that has announced a date for its official Jelly Bean update (mid-July.)
Not if Apple has its way, however. “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” the Cupertino company said in a statement.
“As we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”
Koh’s injunction means she thinks there’s a strong chance Apple will be able to prove its patent-infringing case; it focuses on one patent in particular, covering voice search. That Siri vs. Google Voice Search battle seems about to become even more of a smackdown.
Were you thinking of getting a Nexus? What do you make of the injunction and the ongoing Apple-Android patent war? Let us know in the comments.
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3 ![With Nexus 7, Google Finally Gets Android Tablets Right [REVIEW]](https://iza-server.uibk.ac.at/pywb/dilimag/20210113092156im_/http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/125,Google-nexus7-600.jpg)
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This article fails to explain what’s the reason behind the injunction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws)
Hi Omar! Actually, the patent dispute is mentioned. I’ve added a few more references to it to make that clearer.
Thank you about that.
Hi, Omar. Are you the Mars Volta guy?
Note that Samsung won a case last week or so where Apple has to pay them damages, and so did Motorola. Apple is not the only company to file lawsuits. Samsung’s claims in this case, one at least that’s been tossed out was due to the fact that it was a FRAND patent. Siri is owned by Apple which is purchased and the patent is regarding that was the most important in the ruliing it was said, written about anyway.
I just bought a Nexus last week, So how much is it worth now?
It will likely be worth alot of $$ in a few months. At least to someone that is obsessed with Android. However, the people that would normally pay alot of $$ for the phone likely already have it….they can be referred to as early adopters.
– “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” the Cupertino company said in a statement. “As we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.” –
Interesting that they should take that angle in the statement, given that:
a) I’m pretty sure the hardware/UI/packaging design aren’t actually the basis for this particular case (though damned if I can remember; who can keep up with all Apple’s lawsuits?); and
b) the Nexus clearly bears no resemblance to an iPhone in hardware design, UI design, or packaging… other than that it’s a f___ing phone.
Apple’s getting ridiculous. Its patent applications are getting more and more ridiculous. Its abuse of the patent system is getting more and more ridiculous, and more and more brazen.
Moreover, they’re getting stale. It would at least make things interesting if they were actually innovating and pushing boundaries, as other companies are continuing to do, rather than simply telling people they’re innovating and then brainwashing them into acceptance via copious marketing dollars.
“Apple’s getting ridiculous”- Smoe
Smoe, I don’t care who wins this case, I just want the law to be applied correctly. But clearly it is you and not Apple that is getting ridiculous. The Judge who has the legal experience and knows the facts and the law has sided with Apple. Not only that, she granted them injunctive relief which is very hard to get.
Maybe you don’t want Apple to win and I can understand that. But your stance that Apple is “ridiculous” is countered by the known facts. Not only is their claim substantial but it must be overwhelming to have allowed the Judge to have granted the injunction.
Hate the law if you want. Hate Apple if you want. But recognize reality. Clearly Apple’s claim is not just legitimate, it’s strong.
Actually, do yourself a favor, and go read the patent. It’s nowhere near strong, and bordering on illegitimate. This is one of those “obvious” patents that probably never should have been granted in the first place. The big give-away is easily in the first part of the first claim: “A method for locating information in a network using a computer, …”
The law has shown to be wrong many times before.
The patent system is horribly flawed, and Apple knows it. Until it gets reformed (if ever), Apple will use it to their advantage any way possible…
“Clearly Apple’s claim is not just legitimate, it’s strong.”
Clearly.
Because *clearly* I’m the only person in the US who thinks that (a) Apple’s recent patents have been absurdly general, and even awarded in light of prior art (slide to unlock), and (b) the patent system is broken.
I want the law to be applied correctly too. However I also want the law to be vaguely damn sensible to begin with.
The current system is broken. It allows Apple (and others, admittedly) to exploit it by applying for patents by the dozen, for non-specific systems that they never actually intend to follow up on or develop, but just to have in their litigation arsenal in case they need to pull a card from up their sleeve to block competitors down the road.
That’s not what patents should be about, and this anti-competitive blocking tactic is absurd.
John you clearly know nothing about legal system if you think that just because a judge gave them an injunction means that they are right.
This is the same country where a judge sued a dry cleaner for 67 Million dollars because they lost his lucky pants.
When you have 10s of billions of dollars and a judge who loves her new I Pad anything can happen.
Remember the Oracle Google case? Oracle supposedly had a strong case too. The judge said there could be dire consequences. What happened? Almost all of the patents were found to be invalid. This judge is just making a basic ruling. Do you think she did the work to see if there’s any prior art? All she did was say that what Google is doing may be close to the patents. Doesn’t make them valid. If they are obvious then its quite possible Google is infringing because the patents should never have been rewarded. Seriously. Do you think multi-source search isn’t obvious to Google? Don’t you think search engine aggregators are multi-source search.
I like how no one considers that Samsung has lawsuits against Apple, and so does Motorola which is basically google now.
Its a game and a stupid one usually, but they all play it
I’m well versed in Bird Law
MIcrosoft should sue apple because apple computers have a screen, keyboard, and cpu just like a pc does.
Then WANG should sue Microsoft, because PC computers have a screen, keyboard, and CPU just like the WANG PC did before Microsoft showed up.
You are just ridiculous. If Apple’s claim were farcical then the court’s would have tossed it out, not grated it injunctive relief.
You haven’t been trained in the law, you don’t know the relevant law and you don’t know the relevant facts. Let’s just let this play out in the court’s without you assuming that you should be able to substitute your ignorance for the court’s knowledge and experience.
The argument is that current patent law is antiquated and disruptive to innovation. Apple is abusing this fact by suing companies for the stupidest things. Have you used ICS recently? How does it feel like iOS at all? The earlier versions of Android sure, but they’re really grasping at straws here. And while they’re doing this, they’re crippling any of the apps on iOS that are competitive to their own first party apps. Everything they’ve done the past 3-4 years (technically 30, but only focusing on the present) has been completely anti-competitive and the fact that the current patent system supports this is ridiculous. Being trained in law has nothing to do with it; the point is that the laws need to be changed.
You might want to look back at their history, Apple produced the first graphical interface on their PC and Microsoft swiped it. For some reason I can’t remember the court threw it out. Look on Wikipedia. The biggest patent that the judge decided this case on was over the Siri patent, which Apple bought and owns. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard spot here, shopping for 7 in our home, we have many devices, 2 of the teens wanted this, others use IPhone, one a Windows phone. Many devices, no bashing another over their device. I just look at it for whichever company, if they designed it or own the patent, even if they bought it like Google bought Motorola, Apple bought Siri, etc, they own them and if someone wants to use the feature, they need to pay a licensing fee. That’s it to me.
Incorrect. The Xerox Star was the first computer with a graphical UI, and was stolen by Apple for the Macintosh (or maybe it was Lisa). Check your facts.
Actually, you are incorrect. Xerox did have the first GUI, but Apple didn’t steal it. The OS Apple eventually released had no resemblance to Xerox’s and was light years ahead of anything Xerox had done. You could call it inspiration, but had Apple not actually brought the GUI into commercial application it would merely have languished in Xerox’s labs until the project was eventually scrapped, which it was. Xerox never had anything that was ship-able.
As a user, I don’t get this. It makes Apple look like scared little girls, when the reality is that an iPhone and an Android phone work differently, they look different (I mean seriously, do we only have 1 toilet seat mfgr? One auto manufacturer? One tire manufacturer? One 8.5″ x 11″ paper tablet, etc..?). There are millions of similar products.
But if you ask any Android or Apple user (especially someone like me, who currently owns an iPhone 4S after owning an HTC EVO) they would all agree they are very different systems.
I like my iPhone ok, but my next phone will be either a Win8 or an Android phone, as I am looking for cutting edge, I like innovation, and Apple hasn’t done much in the past couple of years to impress me.
If you can’t compete, litigate!
Yes because Apple can’t compete.
Never mind heir record breaking sales.
Never mind their stock price increasing by 44% just since January 1st.
Never mind their stock price accounting for 1.3% growth of the ENTIRE s&p 500.
Never mind their cash balance that was recently larger than the entire governments cash reserves before Apple pledged to give sme back to stockholders.
Never mind the brilliant way that they pay for upgrade to part manufacturers factories, then buy up all of the future inventory, making it impossible for other brands to obtain the device components.
Never mind the fact that Apple is studied in virtually every business class as the end-all be-all of both marketing and business straegy.
Never mind the iPad creating a tablet market and then destroying in it, taking a market share that constantly increases while each competitor bites the dust.
But yeah. They can’t compete.
I would agree with Ross on this one. It has nothing to do with competing. It has everything to do with not being able to innovate. Apple has lost the ability to innovate. Any innovation you see in the next year or so was started by Steve. They have no choice but to defend while they can, because they don’t have much of a future at this point.
Yes the saying goes – if you can’t innovate… litigate.
“Never mind the brilliant way that they pay for upgrade to part manufacturers factories, then buy up all of the future inventory, making it impossible for other brands to obtain the device components.”
You negate your entire argument . What you describe here as competing is really stifling competition through monopolistic practices. I predict Apple will be broken up as a monopoly in the not too distant future.
Not competition; innovation.
So Samsung, Motorola, Microsoft and others can file lawsuits but not Apple or they can’t “innovate”. They ALL sue. That’s it. Note Motorola’s case where the XBox and other Microsoft products will be banned the case that Motorola won recently. It’s being appealed.
Those are not good analogies. Both of the industries that you mention are of commodity products. The fundamental core of your argument is absurd and is only used because of personal bias.
Your argument says “WHAT?! How can Apple sue for a similar product that a judge things is a potential rip off? Look at tires! Look at toilet seats!”
That absurd argument could now be used in any context.
“WHAT?! How can BMW sue Toyota for stealing their hybrid engine design? Look at tires! Look at toilet seats!”
“WHAT?! How can Sony sue Samsung for stealing their television design? Look at tires! Look at toilet seats!”
“WHAT?! How can quickbooks sue quicken for stealing it’s tax software design? Look at tires! Look at toilet seats!”
“WHAT?! How can Louis Vuitton sue someone for making counterfeit bags? Look at tires! Look at toilet seats!”
Do you see the logical fallacy in your argument?
Quick, someone call the Derp Institution.
My point Ross was this – Apple is the leader in some categories. They have unique software for their computers, iPhones and iPads. Android is a unique product as well. Certainly there are many similarities, just like nearly any product on earth. As a former Android user and current iPhone owner, I just don’t see any real similarities that are not things like a rectangular frame, glass front, the use of icons, a touch surface, etc…
Android doesn’t copy the Apple code like your ridiculous comparison of a specific hybrid engine vs a toilet seat, or if Android has stolen code, I don’t see it. I am not a software designer, so maybe there is core code or something specific that they are infringing on, but it looks much more like silliness by Apple than any real protection of some Apple secret sauce.
With the constant innovation from Google, Apple and many others, it seems to me that more money spent on innovation and less on lawyers would make a better world. But that’s just me.
this has gotten so ridiculousness i hope God sues apple over copy write infringement of the Apple
But they all litigate, all of them, Microsoft, Samsung, Motorola, there was a case won last week by Samsung where Apple has to pay them money, Motorola won one too. They ALL do it.
In other news, Ford tries to block Toyota from selling cars in the US. “It’s no coincidence that these thieves at Toyota have made their vehicle with 4 wheels, same as ours”…
Sorry… I’m not American, I’m not IN America, and this nonsense will affect me to the extent of precisely zero. Yet all this nonsense makes me hate Apple with a passion.
There was a fellow who once said “We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas”. What was his name again? Jobs? Yes, that was him – Steve Jobs. Didn’t he work for Apple or something?
I’ve always been neutral when it comes to Apple. I do love the quality and aesthetics of their products, but never enough to want to own one. Now, after months and months of reading stories like these I’ve definitely shifted from neutral to anti-Apple. So way to go, Apple – you’re doing a sterling job of pissing *everybody* off…
Thank you fine sir for speaking for everybody in the world. We need ambassadors.
Thank you fine sir for addressing the important aspects of what bob_love said. Obviously hyperbole of this magnitude must invalidate everything else put forth. I mean, seriously, with a single exaggeration like that, how can we expect there to be any value in anything else bob_love said! Lets just save ourselves some time, and not discuss the merit of those other statements. It’s easier that way.
make ourselves silence is not helping at all. apple need lighten up. not bit but much.
I wasn’t going to, but I feel I must address @Kitt.
I have friends who are “Apple” to the core (pun intended). THEY’RE getting annoyed. JUDGES are getting annoyed. There is (imho) a general shift towards annoyance on (respected) internet blogs and forums (at least those that aren’t Apple shills).
So in hindsight, yes – perhaps *everybody* was a poor choice of language.
Actually no, I’m not going to explain any further. I meant “everybody” colloquially not literally. I doubt that many people would conclude that by using it in this context, I was assuming to speak for the whole world.
You shouldn’t have bothered. Everybody but him knew what you meant.
It was actually scathing sarcasm. I was calling Ross Simons out for essentially saying nothing of value. For the record, I actually agree with bob_love 100%
NOT SO FAST APPLE, GOOGLE WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH: http://goo.gl/IWfHO
Apple’s own outright theft from many sources, well documented though seldom reported, has yet to impede their sales a single second thus far. They have friends in high places in your American system and have little hesitation towards using them.
I’m getting sick of Apple and their ridiculous lawsuits. Apple didn’t originate the name iPhone, or the iPad. Apple didn’t invent the cell phone – they just stood on the shoulders of the giants like Motorola, and are reaping the benefits of their inventions. Apple is one of THE biggest copy cats alive, and for that reason I will never buy an Apple product.
Everything they sell (except for the original Mac) was already in existence having been invented by others. Apple just takes these devices, tweaks them, in some cases (like the ipad) dumbs them down, and markets them as if they are the true inventors/innovators – which is total BS.
Then Apple gets goofy celebrities like Colbert to flash them in front of the TV cameras at every possible chance. Shame… I actually used to like Colbert…
Apple didn’t even invent the “i” form. There was this really popular music player company called iRiver that did pretty well for itself before the iPod came out. And another less successful company called iRock.
Sounds about right, Apple should be worried though. Jobs is gone and Google is gaining steam. I forsee the iPhone 5 launching badly marking the tipping point for Apple.
http://www.mobiledia.com/news/128917.html
Let the hilarity (hypocrisy) begin! Oh how the media do forget…
This is getting ridiculous, Apple seem to spend more time these days suing companies than coming up with truly innovative products like they used to. They are now very much on the path of sustaining innovation.
Google Samsung, Motorola, Microsoft to see what litigation they’ve initiated, and won also. They ALL do it not just Apple.
apple has started the war. they just take what apple has initiated.
“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,”
It’s funny,because I’m actually holding an iPhone 4S at this exact moment in time and if you turned the lights on and off and swapped it for a NEXUS I’m pretty sure I would know the difference.
Ps refuse to get in to a flame war with you droid fan boys, if my account had an over draft it would already have been used to order the new Google tablet as I like both for what they each do well. In fact if I actually had money in my account I would be typing this on a Galaxy S 3 so there I’m alredy sold!!!
looks like apple starts panicked there when google released JB. they have no innovation left at all.
Hey Apple stop litigating and start innovating!!!”
There go your tax dollars for some more law suits, all the way up to the Supreme Court.
When will the broken patent laws get fixed?
I find it highly amusing that Apple is proud of this even when they are still losing the fight outside of the US. Cornering the second biggest market smartphone market in the world wont kill Samsung. There is still China and India who can keep Samsung alive. Log onto: http://www.abhirdayaram.com/2012/06/09/apple-losing-samsung/ to see how Apple is losing ground to Samsung.
This reminds me the communist times when it was known that the only (and therefore the best) cars in the world are Lada and Volga (if you are a hich communist official). If you want something cooler, you have to break the law a little and smuggle it from abrod. Trough it use to be a little illegal to own something western (being it a pair of jeans).
Seems that Apple (the inventors of the telephony and human speech) haen’t learned much from how the communism ended.
Is there a clear date when this goes into effect? I just bought a Galaxy Nexus with Nexus 7 from Google Play.
Since Nexus 7 won’t be available for another two weeks, I can only get the Nexus together with the tablet. I wonder if they will still honor the sale in this case…
i think Microsoft should sue Apple for employing tactics they clearly own and patented under the “A-hole takes the court to save some time” pretext.
If you can’t beat ‘em, sue them. That’s Apple’s attitude. I use Android, Windows, Linux and OSX and I find out of all companies, Apple is the one that turns me off. For a company that prides itself to be ahead everybody else, they’re starting to become jerks by trying to sue other companies in the same league as them. Maybe electronic brands should sue the shit out of each other with who came first with ‘plasma, LED or etc televisions. I can’t support a company that prides itself by trying to kill of competition by doing this, just shows Apple is afraid of competition.
apple has gone mad.
Apple is seeing the fact that it can’t compete with Google’s Android devices. Go PURE ANDROID, GO LINUX, GO FREE STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ifaggers=bitches
Apple should stop quibbling. And try to make a keynote skydiving if they have enough creativity to do so.
Galaxy S III, only one word “awesome”
IFAG= GO TO HELL
I find it ironic that Apple finally got an injunction on this and the Galaxy 10.1, now that both devices bare very little resemblance to an Apple product. There’s no question that Samsung used to totally rip off Apple’s design, right down to the god-forsaken dock connector and the box they came in, but after all these lawsuits, Samsung has finally started to differentiate their product line.
iPhone also has more pretty, organized graphics to load. Quality over quantity, I love Siri and her robotic voice :)
Seriously? Why is apple always blocking the sale of android phones and tablets? Could someone please explain. I dont think android phones is even against apple but instead apple is always blocking the sales of android phones.
Its just a matter of time when android get its notification patent allotted and ios notification which apple clearly copied from android including some other features will be doomed. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-ios-5-copied-android-2011-6?op=1
I have one close friend with whom I was hanging out other day and got into discussion of android vs apple. His exact statement was “Its not the about the product or features or price etc, its all about when you are associated to something”. Well… that explains why most apple followers are so blind and dumb :| Hey its not a religion (Although I hate that too) or something, its just a fucking ph. I would prefer whatever company is giving me best product not just be dumb like my friend to form a cult for some shit. Get a life man…
And after we wonder why these devices are so expensive ….
Lawyers are expensive…..
I think, it will be better than..!
fuck apple
Apple is really starting to annoy me.
Google its time you defended Android in court against Apple and Microsoft
Actually the Galaxy Nexus is currently available in Jellybean flavor 4.1.
I would love to see Apple not only loosing this case but maybe a gutsy judge will reverse some previous court rulings. However, and maybe it’s me, I don’t think that an American judge will rule against Apple when it goes after a non-American company.
Why does Apple go after Samsung? Because they sell smart phones (and maybe even tablets) more than any other company. Period.
Fortunately for the rest of us outside the US we will have the option to buy whatever heck we want.
Samsung and Asus (and others) are selling truckloads of their tablets and phones all over the World. For example, many in North America might lough at the African market but they are the fastest growing markets right now with 93% android machines dominating the sales.
Apple always wanted to be exclusive and appeal to the more “affluent” (whatever that means) clientele. Now, tablets and smart phones from Samsung (and other companies) are selling all over the globe to the less “affluent” and less “educated” schmucks like me. Apple does not like it. We should not have the right to own exclusive machines :-).
To my delight Apple’s battles will only increase.
Soon we will have the $199 7″ tablet from Amazon, I doubt Apple will sue them (although it is a possibility). That could put a huge dent on Apple market share.
At $199 even bigger losers will be able to own a tablet :-)
Then we will have the Microsoft tablet. Yes, some Apple hard core fan-boys will point and lough but with Windows 8 on board and the option of having all my applications working on it (Photoshop, Simply Accounting and more), that will be another great option.
Lately Apple does seem to be busy with suing instead of innovating. That’s fine with me. Let’s see more innovative ideas from companies that work together instead of corporation that wants to rule the World and stifle any new idea by suing and whining.
Oh, by the way, I have an Asus Prime and Samsung Galaxy II and I love them.
Steve Jobs paid Xerox, look it up, and Xerox 5 years or so later sued Apple but lost the suit. Microsoft is said to have copied the graphical interface but Apple lost that suit to Microsoft. Go figure. They all do it, not just Apple, and they all want our money, that’s a fact no one can deny.
Really, really had enough of this now. It’s time for software patent law to be shot down and the patent trolls hamstrung.