Legal

ITC to review Apple victory in Motorola patent case

The U.S. International Trade Commission will review an administrative law judge's decision invalidating certain Motorola Mobility patents, which cleared Apple of infringement claims.

The ITC, a federal agency with the power to enforce bans on products shipping to the U.S., posted a notice (PDF) to its Web site today indicating it will take a second look at a decision issued in December by Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender. Pender dismissed the claims after invalidating a Motorola patent covering proximity sensor technology.

The patent in question covers technology that automatically dims a handset's display when the phone … Read more

Judge: Apple shareholder suit shows 'likelihood of success'

A federal judge said today he sees merit in an activist hedge-fund manager's lawsuit against Apple but did not issue a ruling on whether to block next week's shareholder vote on a proxy proposal.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan declined to immediately rule on a request by Greenlight Capital to stop a February 27 vote because he wasn't sure the plaintiff would suffer "irreparable harm" if the vote was allowed to be held as scheduled.

"Candidly, I do think the likelihood of success is in favor for Greenlight," Sullivan said today in … Read more

Apple granted 36 patents, including for proximity detection

Apple was granted 36 patents today, including one for a proximity sensor for the iPhone and iPad and another for haptic feedback to create a sort of virtual keyboard.

The patents, approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, cover a wide range of technologies, as earlier reported by Patently Apple. The proximity sensor patent, first filed in 2005, covers technology related to detecting one or more touches and differentiating whether the touches are light or hard, among other capabilities.

Another patent relates to electronic media devices and future active packaging that allows power and data to be supplied … Read more

Apple Siri lawsuit against Samsung may be put on hold

A U.S. federal judge presiding over the landmark patent lawsuit between Apple and Samsung may postpone a second Apple patent suit against Samsung until an appeals court renders a decision on the first.

Apple won a $1.05 billion verdict against Samsung last year in a San Jose, Calif., trial, but U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh rejected the iPhone maker's request for a permanent injunction against sales of offending Samsung devices. A separate lawsuit filed by Apple accuses Samsung of violating a group of patents, including one related to Siri voice search technology.

That second case is … Read more

Apple claims Einhorn lawsuit tries to hold investors 'hostage'

Apple accused an activist hedge fund manager of attempting to hold investors "hostage" in his effort to get the electronics giant to share more of its massive cash reserves with investors.

The charge came today in Apple's response to a lawsuit filed last week by Greenlight Capital, which asserts that the company needed to distribute preferred stock to current shareholders and that Apple had balked at the idea when it was first discussed. The filing comes a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook called the lawsuit a "silly sideshow."

"Shareholders should not be held … Read more

Apple hit with another investor lawsuit

Looks like there's a second act for Apple's "silly sideshow."

Another Apple shareholder is suing Apple, Reuters reported today. This time, it's over Apple's executive compensation policy, in addition to the company's intent to eliminate preferred stock for investors.

Pennsylvania resident Brian Gralnick has filed suit against Apple in an attempt to stop Apple from holding a shareholder vote on the two matters. The vote is scheduled for February 27. Gralnick has been a shareholder since 2007, but it's unclear how much of a stake in Apple he owns.

We've contacted … Read more

OLED displays? They're 'awful,' says Apple's CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook is definitely not a fan of OLED displays.

Cook, speaking at an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs in San Francisco today, called the color saturation of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays "awful."

"If you ever buy anything online and really want to know what he color is, as many people do, you should really think twice before you depend on the color from an OLED display," Cook said.

Conversely, Cook called Apple's Retina Display a superior experience, noting that it is twice as bright.

That's a shot at mobile … Read more

Apple CEO: We've looked at a few big companies to buy

Apple had considered a few blockbuster acquisitions in the past, but ultimately stuck with smaller deals.

That's according to CEO Tim Cook, speaking at an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs this morning. He said that Apple at points had looked at buying large companies, but in each case, they failed to pass muster.

"It didn't pass our test for various reasons, and we've looked at more than one," Cook said. "Would we look again? I'm sure we will."

Apple's decision to stay away from bigger deals has helped it avoid … Read more

Judge accelerates hedge fund's lawsuit against Apple

A federal judge has approved Apple's request to fast-track a lawsuit filed last week by hedge fund manager David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital in an effort to get the electronics giant to share more of its massive cash reserves with investors.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan for the Southern District of New York granted Apple's request, moving forward the schedule for a hearing on a preliminary injunction sought by Greenlight Capital. Apple had argued that the proposed meeting would have an effect on its shareholder meeting later this month.

The modification request suggested that document filing … Read more