Judge overrules Samsung objection to jury video depicting Apple devices - PCWorld

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh on Sunday overruled Samsung Electronics’ objections to showing jurors a recent instructional video on how patents work, ahead of a trial in a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung.

The South Korean company claimed that the video suggested at a minimum that Apple’s products are patentable and innovative. The new video, called “The Patent Process: An Overview for Jurors,” was developed by the Federal Judicial Center to provide jurors with an introduction to the patent system, and was posted to YouTube in November last year.

Samsung on Friday objected to the FJC video which it said includes several scenes in which Apple products are depicted and used. It recommended that the jurors be shown an earlier video that was also shown to the jury in another patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in the court, and does not feature products and brands at issue in the trial.

A note from the FJC to the November 2013 video states that individual judges will want to review it and consult with counsel before deciding whether to use it in a particular case, Samsung said in its filing.

At the 2:55 mark on the new video, for example, a series of Apple products are shown, including an iPad, a newer model of a laptop computer, and an iPhone, Samsung said. “The narration during this portion of the video addresses how the disclosure of a patent may ‘inspire new inventions,’” Samsung’s counsel wrote in a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division.

“At the 4:35 mark, the requirements that a patent be new, useful and non-obvious are shown on the screen in front of a still image of an Apple computer,” the counsels wrote in the filing.

“At a minimum, the video strongly suggests that Apple’s products are innovative and patentable,” Samsung’s attorneys wrote. Showing the jury such a video would be prejudicial to Samsung and threaten the impartiality of the jury, according to the filing.

In her order on Sunday, Judge Koh wrote that the parties shall bring the November 2013 version of the video, and shall include a handout referenced in the video in the jury binders.

In the lawsuit, Apple claims that Samsung infringed five of its patents in 10 models of phones and tablets, while Samsung has counterclaimed that Apple has infringed on two of its patents in nine phones and tablets.(

The case covers some of both companies’ better known and recent smartphone and tablet models such as the Galaxy S III and the fourth-generation iPad. On Monday, the two parties are expected to start with jury selection.

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Google Plays a Bigger Role in Latest Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit - Mac Rumors

Google engineers, including former Android Chief Andy Rubin, may testify during the second patent lawsuit trial between Apple and Samsung, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Samsung will reportedly use the testimonials to prove that it licensed four out of the five software features it is accused of infringing upon, as it contends that Google had already been working on the technologies before Apple filed for patents.

To help defend Samsung, Google engineers are expected to take the stand to refute Apple's arguments that it forged new ground with the iPhone. Andy Rubin, the former head of Google's mobile business who oversaw the development of Android, is listed as a potential witness. Mr. Rubin worked for Apple from 1989 to 1992.

"Google will be a lot more front and center than in previous cases," said Michael Carrier, a patent expert and law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "Google vs. Apple makes it more of a clash of the titans on the same turf."

Apple's list of asserted patents include those for hyperlinking, background syncing of data, Siri's universal search capabilities, auto-complete, and slide-to-unlock. Samsung states that all of these features found on its Galaxy devices are Android features, except for slide-to-unlock functionality. The second trial covers more recent devices such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, the iPhone 4/4s/5, the iPad 2/3/4, the iPad mini, and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch.

Following the conclusion of the original patent lawsuit that covered older devices, and the subsequent damages retrial to redetermine a segment of the reward, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $890 million.

A report last week also noted that Samsung plans to call Google's VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, and Todd Pendleton, Samsung's marketing chief for its U.S. telecoms division to the stand. Meanwhile, Apple expects to call marketing chief Phil Schiller and possibly former SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall among many others.

Could someone please explain the whole Apple vs. Samsung thing to me? Who is suing who, and for what exactly?

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

By the time this is all settled these devices will have been discontinued. What a huge waste of money.

Yep. IIRC, it involves the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

I hope neither one wins. This is like the poster child of why software patents (and their trials) are just plain dumb.

For example, the "universal search" is something that people have been doing for years. Whether or not Samsung infringed, all hinges on what a missing comma means, and which year dictionary is used. You might as well flip a coin.

Ditto for the "hot links" for recognizing things like phone numbers in text, and for keyboard "word completion", or for Samsung's patent on compressing video.

None of these are novel inventions, so it comes down to whether or not one company's developers implemented something in the same way that the other filed a patent on... a situation which is NOT about copying, but about developers doing the same thing a world apart.

.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

It's obvious.

Sadly the longer Apple drags on with legal assaults, less time and money go towards doing innovating things.

Wow, didn't realize the lawyers were doing double duty as designers and engineers as well! And the fact that Apple's massive $150 billion cash hoard was used completely up for this trial must be devastating! Man, Apple must be on hard times that they have to rely on lawyers write all their software code and do their product design innovations.

Hopefully the lawyers can finish this trial quickly so they can make it back to Cupertino in time to finish working on the iWatch.

/sarcasm

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress,

This trial has nothing to do with trade dress.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents,

This trial has nothing to do with SEPs.

This trial, like most software patent trials, is about asking a jury of people off the street to decide technical issues that often confuse people with decades of specific experience.

And of course, it's about infringement, not copying, since it's extremely unlikely that either side stole any code or even looked at the other's methods.

Then there's the royalty payments that Apple wants. They're so outrageous, that even Florian Mueller, who is well known as being pro-Apple and anti-Samsung, wrote:

"I face the first situation in which I don't merely disagree with Apple but am rather wondering whether it has lost its mind."

"Apple's damages theory for the trial (...) is an objective insanity"

At upcoming trial, Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per device for only five software patents (http://ift.tt/1enjlQh)

Not to mention that this could backfire on Apple, when they later have to pay Samsung and others. A jury could decide that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I find it strange that Google is stepping in, maybe because Samsung is the best selling Android device.

Though Samsung has stopped, you can't doubt how much inspiration they drew from the first few iPhones. Down to changing their earphones to white, charger to a 30 pin shape, white boxes, color scheme packaging. A benefit of the doubt is gone based on their history with other popular handsets pre-iPhone such as blackberry and Nokia.

I'm glad Samsung has somewhat found their way of making phones now but their tactics of copying to get into market before changing is still hard to put up with especially to a giant like Apple.

can't believe there are people actually defending Samsung. Anyone with a brain stem can tell that the phone looked identical minus the samsung logo. I think the only defenders are blind Apple haters who are claiming that Apple are the blind ones. Look at the evidence and tell me that the Samsung Galaxy whatever (stupid naming convention) is not the same as the iPhone3GS. Not to mention that as soon as Apple continued using this iPhone 4 design, samsung had to stop coming up with their design for the S3, S4 they all look the same as each other. It's like they are just following in Apples foot steps.

People hate on Apple for not changing their design for a few version but then no hate for Samsung sticking to the same design for their versions? BLIND Apple hate.

If I was Apple I would be suing relentlessly until I got things sorted. I don't like to have my ideas/artwork stolen and sold for profits. This is how Apple make a living. You go start working for free and have others sell the stuff you do for their benefit then come back here and tell me Samsung are not in the wrong.

PS this is Samsung suing Apple this time so stop hating on Apple for bringing this up.

The main crook in the picture is google not samsung..

I alway wonder why google was not the one apple went after first !

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

What absolute rubbish! Sure, if it was any other company other than Samsung, then I think you'd kind of have a point. But this is Samesung, one of the largest copy-cat companies in the world. They've been busted via official documents admitting to thieving the iPhone design, as well as many other Apple designs. Their "hidden" agenda is to copy, make a huge profit from the theft, get busted, go to court, get sued, appeal, delay, appeal again, and eventually pay damages which are only a fraction of the massive profits they've made from their rip-off designs (not all, but many). Like I said - any other company other than Scamsung...

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This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible - Wired

iTunes Radio could get more visibility through its own iOS 8 app. Image: Apple

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. This week, reports on what to expect in iOS 8 have started rolling in. But as always, we’ve parsed the week’s rumors, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: iOS 8 Icons Leaked

Apparently someone in China got their hands on an early build of iOS 8, and has leaked images of its homescreen, including icons of yet-to-be-released iOS 8 apps. Some of the icons are essentially copycats of their OS X counterparts, and as such, don’t fit in with the iOS 8 aesthetic at all. While 9to5Mac says these images align with what they’ve heard the icons will look like, we would expect them to look different in the final build of iOS 8, so we’re calling bogus on this one.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Exploring Optical Sensing for 3-D Gesture Recognition

A a pair of patent applications published Thursday highlight how Apple could use 3-D gesture recognition to enhance its mobile and desktop products (and it’s certainly not the first time). Apple could perform Microsoft Kinect-like object identification, according to the first of the two patents, “Imaging Range Finding Device and Method.” The method involves an array of light emitters and photodetectors that would direct light at an object, which would then bounce back and get analyzed through an optical lens. Adding a couple more lenses would be an option that increases the system’s accuracy. This technology could be used in a variety of ways, including to help guide the visually impaired, to scan 3-D objects, for photo editing, and for night vision. The second patent describes how optical sensing could be used in a trackpad scenario. Your position on the pad is tracked by reflected light, and it can measure vertical, horizontal, and angular positioning as well as things like acceleration, pressure, velocity, force, and pressure. Thus, the system could detect different gestures that mean different things based on the angle and force that are applied. This sounds like it could allow for a variety of complicated gestures, particularly ones geared toward accessibility.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Next iPhones to Take Design Cues From the iPhone 5c, 7th Gen iPod

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara says that the two new iPhones coming out this year, rumored to be 4.7 and 5.7 inches in size, will take design cues from the iPhone 5c and fifth gen iPod nano. Think anodized aluminum, but available in a wide variety of colors, with the mute and volume button styled like those on the iPhone 5c. It would also have rounded rear edges, akin to the 5c. These rumors don’t sound completely far-fetched, but it’s still fairly early in the year, so accuracy and validity are still in question.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Looking Into Better Pedometer Step Detection

Oh look, another wearable-related patent! Also applicable to the iPod nano, which has a built-in pedometer, the patent filing “Wrist pedometer step detection” looks into how Apple could perform better, more accurate step detection with a device worn anywhere on your body. The system would be able to detect steps, filter out noise, and tell when a step is “missed” (in terms of signal detection) because you were swinging your arm. Using a technique called a Fourier Transform, the device would also be able to automatically tell if it’s worn on the wrist.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Updating Lightning Connector to Stop Counterfeits

An Apple patent application published Thursday describes a way for Apple to put unique identifiers in Lightning cables to stop third party counterfeits from working. While we think, in some respects, this is totally lame, on the other hand, faulty third party chargers have also been known to explode. No signs as to whether this would roll out any time soon, but it does seem like something Apple would do.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Making All Sorts of Tweaks for iOS 8

Apple will likely give us a first look at iOS this June at WWDC — just three months away. So it’s not too surprising that the look and features of the next version of iOS are starting to take shape. Each iteration of iOS features a number of enhancements, but 9to5Mac lists a few possibilities: The Game Center app may get nixed, while the service continues to exist in apps that use it; Apple could implement automatic deletion of iMessage threads to free up space on your device; and a redesign of the Voice Memos app could make it more intuitive. At the moment, these particular examples are all “maybes,” according to 9to5Mac, but no doubt small (and large) changes like these will eventually show up in the new OS.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Moving iTunes Radio to Its Own App in iOS 8

In an effort to boost usage, Apple could move iTunes Radio from the Music app to its own app in iOS 8 this year. This would give the feature greater visibility, and make it more of a direct competitor with other streaming apps like Rdio, Spotify, and Pandora. Apple does have a history of doing this: Its Podcasts app had its beginnings in the Music app, and Apple gave iTunes University content its own app too.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Expanding iCloud Functionality in iOS 8

Apple will likely be expanding iCloud to make it a more robust file system replacement with new features in iOS 8. Namely, Apple will introduce TextEdit and Preview apps so that you can view those files (saved in iCloud) both on iOS and OS X devices. However, the apps will be read only, according to 9to5Mac’s report, with document editing available in iBooks, for PDFs, and Pages, for TextEdit documents. TextEdit and Preview were two of the questionable leaked icon images we mentioned above.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: iOS 8 Will Include Vastly Upgraded Maps App

9to5Mac is also offering a detailed look at one of the biggest new features of iOS 8: Maps. Maps launched with iOS 6 so riddled with errors and mistakes that Apple fired both SVP Scott Forstall and Maps manager Rich Williamson over the debacle, and issued a public apology. Since then, Apple’s improved the looks of the app, and has made several acquisitions that will let Apple improve data on the backend, including better labeling and points of interest. Apple will also finally add public transit directions — perhaps the largest missing feature of the app (at least for city dwellers). Apple could also add an augmented reality feature for finding nearby points of interest in the app, but this could be further down the pipeline.

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Judge overrules Samsung objection to jury video depicting Apple devices - PCWorld

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh on Sunday overruled Samsung Electronics’ objections to showing jurors a recent instructional video on how patents work, ahead of a trial in a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung.

The South Korean company claimed that the video suggested at a minimum that Apple’s products are patentable and innovative. The new video, called “The Patent Process: An Overview for Jurors,” was developed by the Federal Judicial Center to provide jurors with an introduction to the patent system, and was posted to YouTube in November last year.

Samsung on Friday objected to the FJC video which it said includes several scenes in which Apple products are depicted and used. It recommended that the jurors be shown an earlier video that was also shown to the jury in another patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in the court, and does not feature products and brands at issue in the trial.

A note from the FJC to the November 2013 video states that individual judges will want to review it and consult with counsel before deciding whether to use it in a particular case, Samsung said in its filing.

At the 2:55 mark on the new video, for example, a series of Apple products are shown, including an iPad, a newer model of a laptop computer, and an iPhone, Samsung said. “The narration during this portion of the video addresses how the disclosure of a patent may ‘inspire new inventions,’” Samsung’s counsel wrote in a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division.

“At the 4:35 mark, the requirements that a patent be new, useful and non-obvious are shown on the screen in front of a still image of an Apple computer,” the counsels wrote in the filing.

“At a minimum, the video strongly suggests that Apple’s products are innovative and patentable,” Samsung’s attorneys wrote. Showing the jury such a video would be prejudicial to Samsung and threaten the impartiality of the jury, according to the filing.

In her order on Sunday, Judge Koh wrote that the parties shall bring the November 2013 version of the video, and shall include a handout referenced in the video in the jury binders.

In the lawsuit, Apple claims that Samsung infringed five of its patents in 10 models of phones and tablets, while Samsung has counterclaimed that Apple has infringed on two of its patents in nine phones and tablets.(

The case covers some of both companies’ better known and recent smartphone and tablet models such as the Galaxy S III and the fourth-generation iPad. On Monday, the two parties are expected to start with jury selection.

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Google Plays a Bigger Role in Latest Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit - Mac Rumors

Google engineers, including former Android Chief Andy Rubin, may testify during the second patent lawsuit trial between Apple and Samsung, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Samsung will reportedly use the testimonials to prove that it licensed four out of the five software features it is accused of infringing upon, as it contends that Google had already been working on the technologies before Apple filed for patents.

To help defend Samsung, Google engineers are expected to take the stand to refute Apple's arguments that it forged new ground with the iPhone. Andy Rubin, the former head of Google's mobile business who oversaw the development of Android, is listed as a potential witness. Mr. Rubin worked for Apple from 1989 to 1992.

"Google will be a lot more front and center than in previous cases," said Michael Carrier, a patent expert and law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "Google vs. Apple makes it more of a clash of the titans on the same turf."

Apple's list of asserted patents include those for hyperlinking, background syncing of data, Siri's universal search capabilities, auto-complete, and slide-to-unlock. Samsung states that all of these features found on its Galaxy devices are Android features, except for slide-to-unlock functionality. The second trial covers more recent devices such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, the iPhone 4/4s/5, the iPad 2/3/4, the iPad mini, and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch.

Following the conclusion of the original patent lawsuit that covered older devices, and the subsequent damages retrial to redetermine a segment of the reward, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $890 million.

A report last week also noted that Samsung plans to call Google's VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, and Todd Pendleton, Samsung's marketing chief for its U.S. telecoms division to the stand. Meanwhile, Apple expects to call marketing chief Phil Schiller and possibly former SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall among many others.

Could someone please explain the whole Apple vs. Samsung thing to me? Who is suing who, and for what exactly?

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

By the time this is all settled these devices will have been discontinued. What a huge waste of money.

Yep. IIRC, it involves the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

I hope neither one wins. This is like the poster child of why software patents (and their trials) are just plain dumb.

For example, the "universal search" is something that people have been doing for years. Whether or not Samsung infringed, all hinges on what a missing comma means, and which year dictionary is used. You might as well flip a coin.

Ditto for the "hot links" for recognizing things like phone numbers in text, and for keyboard "word completion", or for Samsung's patent on compressing video.

None of these are novel inventions, so it comes down to whether or not one company's developers implemented something in the same way that the other filed a patent on... a situation which is NOT about copying, but about developers doing the same thing a world apart.

.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

It's obvious.

Sadly the longer Apple drags on with legal assaults, less time and money go towards doing innovating things.

Wow, didn't realize the lawyers were doing double duty as designers and engineers as well! And the fact that Apple's massive $150 billion cash hoard was used completely up for this trial must be devastating! Man, Apple must be on hard times that they have to rely on lawyers write all their software code and do their product design innovations.

Hopefully the lawyers can finish this trial quickly so they can make it back to Cupertino in time to finish working on the iWatch.

/sarcasm

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress,

This trial has nothing to do with trade dress.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents,

This trial has nothing to do with SEPs.

This trial, like most software patent trials, is about asking a jury of people off the street to decide technical issues that often confuse people with decades of specific experience.

And of course, it's about infringement, not copying, since it's extremely unlikely that either side stole any code or even looked at the other's methods.

Then there's the royalty payments that Apple wants. They're so outrageous, that even Florian Mueller, who is well known as being pro-Apple and anti-Samsung, wrote:

"I face the first situation in which I don't merely disagree with Apple but am rather wondering whether it has lost its mind."

"Apple's damages theory for the trial (...) is an objective insanity"

At upcoming trial, Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per device for only five software patents (http://ift.tt/1enjlQh)

Not to mention that this could backfire on Apple, when they later have to pay Samsung and others. A jury could decide that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I find it strange that Google is stepping in, maybe because Samsung is the best selling Android device.

Though Samsung has stopped, you can't doubt how much inspiration they drew from the first few iPhones. Down to changing their earphones to white, charger to a 30 pin shape, white boxes, color scheme packaging. A benefit of the doubt is gone based on their history with other popular handsets pre-iPhone such as blackberry and Nokia.

I'm glad Samsung has somewhat found their way of making phones now but their tactics of copying to get into market before changing is still hard to put up with especially to a giant like Apple.

can't believe there are people actually defending Samsung. Anyone with a brain stem can tell that the phone looked identical minus the samsung logo. I think the only defenders are blind Apple haters who are claiming that Apple are the blind ones. Look at the evidence and tell me that the Samsung Galaxy whatever (stupid naming convention) is not the same as the iPhone3GS. Not to mention that as soon as Apple continued using this iPhone 4 design, samsung had to stop coming up with their design for the S3, S4 they all look the same as each other. It's like they are just following in Apples foot steps.

People hate on Apple for not changing their design for a few version but then no hate for Samsung sticking to the same design for their versions? BLIND Apple hate.

If I was Apple I would be suing relentlessly until I got things sorted. I don't like to have my ideas/artwork stolen and sold for profits. This is how Apple make a living. You go start working for free and have others sell the stuff you do for their benefit then come back here and tell me Samsung are not in the wrong.

PS this is Samsung suing Apple this time so stop hating on Apple for bringing this up.

The main crook in the picture is google not samsung..

I alway wonder why google was not the one apple went after first !

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

What absolute rubbish! Sure, if it was any other company other than Samsung, then I think you'd kind of have a point. But this is Samesung, one of the largest copy-cat companies in the world. They've been busted via official documents admitting to thieving the iPhone design, as well as many other Apple designs. Their "hidden" agenda is to copy, make a huge profit from the theft, get busted, go to court, get sued, appeal, delay, appeal again, and eventually pay damages which are only a fraction of the massive profits they've made from their rip-off designs (not all, but many). Like I said - any other company other than Scamsung...

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Samsung Electronics' mobile head paycheck hits $5.8 million, beating Apple's ... - Reuters

J.K. Shin, president of Mobile Communications Business for Samsung Electronics, gives a keynote address during the International CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada March 23, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

(Reuters) - Head of Samsung Electronics Co's mobile business, J.K. Shin, received a $5.8 million compensation package last year, beating the paycheck of his counterpart at U.S. rival Apple Inc, the South Korean firm said on Monday in its first such disclosure under new regulations.

The world's biggest technology company by revenue said Shin's pack included a base salary of 1.17 billion won and 1.6 billion won in incentives and performance bonus.

By comparison, Apple chief executive Tim Cook received $4.25 million in 2013, little changed from the previous year when he had been paid $4.17 million.

Shin, who has led Samsung's mobile business since 2009, has since overseen the launch of its flagship Galaxy handsets that helped it unseat Apple in the smartphone market and also sparked patent litigations the world over that claimed Samsung copied the look and feel of the U.S. firm's iconic mobile products.

Samsung's other co-chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun, who leads the component business, earned even more, taking 6.77 billion won home, while third co-CEO Yoon Boo-keun, the head of its consumer electronics business, received 5.09 billion won.

South Korean financial authorities changed regulations late last year, requiring listed companies to include annual compensation details of executives who earn more than 500 million won in their business reports filings.

But the measure also drew some criticism as it does not shed much light on pay details of some high profile owners of business conglomerates or chaebols, as they frequently assume non-executive titles.

Samsung didn't disclose remuneration details of J.Y. Lee, non-executive vice chairman and son of its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who is also non-executive chairman and receives no salary from Samsung. ($1 = 1069.3000 Korean Won)

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible - Wired

iTunes Radio could get more visibility through its own iOS 8 app. Image: Apple

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. This week, reports on what to expect in iOS 8 have started rolling in. But as always, we’ve parsed the week’s rumors, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: iOS 8 Icons Leaked

Apparently someone in China got their hands on an early build of iOS 8, and has leaked images of its homescreen, including icons of yet-to-be-released iOS 8 apps. Some of the icons are essentially copycats of their OS X counterparts, and as such, don’t fit in with the iOS 8 aesthetic at all. While 9to5Mac says these images align with what they’ve heard the icons will look like, we would expect them to look different in the final build of iOS 8, so we’re calling bogus on this one.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Exploring Optical Sensing for 3-D Gesture Recognition

A a pair of patent applications published Thursday highlight how Apple could use 3-D gesture recognition to enhance its mobile and desktop products (and it’s certainly not the first time). Apple could perform Microsoft Kinect-like object identification, according to the first of the two patents, “Imaging Range Finding Device and Method.” The method involves an array of light emitters and photodetectors that would direct light at an object, which would then bounce back and get analyzed through an optical lens. Adding a couple more lenses would be an option that increases the system’s accuracy. This technology could be used in a variety of ways, including to help guide the visually impaired, to scan 3-D objects, for photo editing, and for night vision. The second patent describes how optical sensing could be used in a trackpad scenario. Your position on the pad is tracked by reflected light, and it can measure vertical, horizontal, and angular positioning as well as things like acceleration, pressure, velocity, force, and pressure. Thus, the system could detect different gestures that mean different things based on the angle and force that are applied. This sounds like it could allow for a variety of complicated gestures, particularly ones geared toward accessibility.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Next iPhones to Take Design Cues From the iPhone 5c, 7th Gen iPod

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara says that the two new iPhones coming out this year, rumored to be 4.7 and 5.7 inches in size, will take design cues from the iPhone 5c and fifth gen iPod nano. Think anodized aluminum, but available in a wide variety of colors, with the mute and volume button styled like those on the iPhone 5c. It would also have rounded rear edges, akin to the 5c. These rumors don’t sound completely far-fetched, but it’s still fairly early in the year, so accuracy and validity are still in question.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Looking Into Better Pedometer Step Detection

Oh look, another wearable-related patent! Also applicable to the iPod nano, which has a built-in pedometer, the patent filing “Wrist pedometer step detection” looks into how Apple could perform better, more accurate step detection with a device worn anywhere on your body. The system would be able to detect steps, filter out noise, and tell when a step is “missed” (in terms of signal detection) because you were swinging your arm. Using a technique called a Fourier Transform, the device would also be able to automatically tell if it’s worn on the wrist.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Updating Lightning Connector to Stop Counterfeits

An Apple patent application published Thursday describes a way for Apple to put unique identifiers in Lightning cables to stop third party counterfeits from working. While we think, in some respects, this is totally lame, on the other hand, faulty third party chargers have also been known to explode. No signs as to whether this would roll out any time soon, but it does seem like something Apple would do.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Making All Sorts of Tweaks for iOS 8

Apple will likely give us a first look at iOS this June at WWDC — just three months away. So it’s not too surprising that the look and features of the next version of iOS are starting to take shape. Each iteration of iOS features a number of enhancements, but 9to5Mac lists a few possibilities: The Game Center app may get nixed, while the service continues to exist in apps that use it; Apple could implement automatic deletion of iMessage threads to free up space on your device; and a redesign of the Voice Memos app could make it more intuitive. At the moment, these particular examples are all “maybes,” according to 9to5Mac, but no doubt small (and large) changes like these will eventually show up in the new OS.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Moving iTunes Radio to Its Own App in iOS 8

In an effort to boost usage, Apple could move iTunes Radio from the Music app to its own app in iOS 8 this year. This would give the feature greater visibility, and make it more of a direct competitor with other streaming apps like Rdio, Spotify, and Pandora. Apple does have a history of doing this: Its Podcasts app had its beginnings in the Music app, and Apple gave iTunes University content its own app too.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Expanding iCloud Functionality in iOS 8

Apple will likely be expanding iCloud to make it a more robust file system replacement with new features in iOS 8. Namely, Apple will introduce TextEdit and Preview apps so that you can view those files (saved in iCloud) both on iOS and OS X devices. However, the apps will be read only, according to 9to5Mac’s report, with document editing available in iBooks, for PDFs, and Pages, for TextEdit documents. TextEdit and Preview were two of the questionable leaked icon images we mentioned above.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: iOS 8 Will Include Vastly Upgraded Maps App

9to5Mac is also offering a detailed look at one of the biggest new features of iOS 8: Maps. Maps launched with iOS 6 so riddled with errors and mistakes that Apple fired both SVP Scott Forstall and Maps manager Rich Williamson over the debacle, and issued a public apology. Since then, Apple’s improved the looks of the app, and has made several acquisitions that will let Apple improve data on the backend, including better labeling and points of interest. Apple will also finally add public transit directions — perhaps the largest missing feature of the app (at least for city dwellers). Apple could also add an augmented reality feature for finding nearby points of interest in the app, but this could be further down the pipeline.

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Judge overrules Samsung objection to jury video depicting Apple devices - PCWorld

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh on Sunday overruled Samsung Electronics’ objections to showing jurors a recent instructional video on how patents work, ahead of a trial in a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung.

The South Korean company claimed that the video suggested at a minimum that Apple’s products are patentable and innovative. The new video, called “The Patent Process: An Overview for Jurors,” was developed by the Federal Judicial Center to provide jurors with an introduction to the patent system, and was posted to YouTube in November last year.

Samsung on Friday objected to the FJC video which it said includes several scenes in which Apple products are depicted and used. It recommended that the jurors be shown an earlier video that was also shown to the jury in another patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in the court, and does not feature products and brands at issue in the trial.

A note from the FJC to the November 2013 video states that individual judges will want to review it and consult with counsel before deciding whether to use it in a particular case, Samsung said in its filing.

At the 2:55 mark on the new video, for example, a series of Apple products are shown, including an iPad, a newer model of a laptop computer, and an iPhone, Samsung said. “The narration during this portion of the video addresses how the disclosure of a patent may ‘inspire new inventions,’” Samsung’s counsel wrote in a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division.

“At the 4:35 mark, the requirements that a patent be new, useful and non-obvious are shown on the screen in front of a still image of an Apple computer,” the counsels wrote in the filing.

“At a minimum, the video strongly suggests that Apple’s products are innovative and patentable,” Samsung’s attorneys wrote. Showing the jury such a video would be prejudicial to Samsung and threaten the impartiality of the jury, according to the filing.

In her order on Sunday, Judge Koh wrote that the parties shall bring the November 2013 version of the video, and shall include a handout referenced in the video in the jury binders.

In the lawsuit, Apple claims that Samsung infringed five of its patents in 10 models of phones and tablets, while Samsung has counterclaimed that Apple has infringed on two of its patents in nine phones and tablets.(

The case covers some of both companies’ better known and recent smartphone and tablet models such as the Galaxy S III and the fourth-generation iPad. On Monday, the two parties are expected to start with jury selection.

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Google Plays a Bigger Role in Latest Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit - Mac Rumors

Google engineers, including former Android Chief Andy Rubin, may testify during the second patent lawsuit trial between Apple and Samsung, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Samsung will reportedly use the testimonials to prove that it licensed four out of the five software features it is accused of infringing upon, as it contends that Google had already been working on the technologies before Apple filed for patents.

To help defend Samsung, Google engineers are expected to take the stand to refute Apple's arguments that it forged new ground with the iPhone. Andy Rubin, the former head of Google's mobile business who oversaw the development of Android, is listed as a potential witness. Mr. Rubin worked for Apple from 1989 to 1992.

"Google will be a lot more front and center than in previous cases," said Michael Carrier, a patent expert and law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "Google vs. Apple makes it more of a clash of the titans on the same turf."

Apple's list of asserted patents include those for hyperlinking, background syncing of data, Siri's universal search capabilities, auto-complete, and slide-to-unlock. Samsung states that all of these features found on its Galaxy devices are Android features, except for slide-to-unlock functionality. The second trial covers more recent devices such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, the iPhone 4/4s/5, the iPad 2/3/4, the iPad mini, and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch.

Following the conclusion of the original patent lawsuit that covered older devices, and the subsequent damages retrial to redetermine a segment of the reward, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $890 million.

A report last week also noted that Samsung plans to call Google's VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, and Todd Pendleton, Samsung's marketing chief for its U.S. telecoms division to the stand. Meanwhile, Apple expects to call marketing chief Phil Schiller and possibly former SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall among many others.

Could someone please explain the whole Apple vs. Samsung thing to me? Who is suing who, and for what exactly?

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

By the time this is all settled these devices will have been discontinued. What a huge waste of money.

Yep. IIRC, it involves the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

I hope neither one wins. This is like the poster child of why software patents (and their trials) are just plain dumb.

For example, the "universal search" is something that people have been doing for years. Whether or not Samsung infringed, all hinges on what a missing comma means, and which year dictionary is used. You might as well flip a coin.

Ditto for the "hot links" for recognizing things like phone numbers in text, and for keyboard "word completion", or for Samsung's patent on compressing video.

None of these are novel inventions, so it comes down to whether or not one company's developers implemented something in the same way that the other filed a patent on... a situation which is NOT about copying, but about developers doing the same thing a world apart.

.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

It's obvious.

Sadly the longer Apple drags on with legal assaults, less time and money go towards doing innovating things.

Wow, didn't realize the lawyers were doing double duty as designers and engineers as well! And the fact that Apple's massive $150 billion cash hoard was used completely up for this trial must be devastating! Man, Apple must be on hard times that they have to rely on lawyers write all their software code and do their product design innovations.

Hopefully the lawyers can finish this trial quickly so they can make it back to Cupertino in time to finish working on the iWatch.

/sarcasm

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress,

This trial has nothing to do with trade dress.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents,

This trial has nothing to do with SEPs.

This trial, like most software patent trials, is about asking a jury of people off the street to decide technical issues that often confuse people with decades of specific experience.

And of course, it's about infringement, not copying, since it's extremely unlikely that either side stole any code or even looked at the other's methods.

Then there's the royalty payments that Apple wants. They're so outrageous, that even Florian Mueller, who is well known as being pro-Apple and anti-Samsung, wrote:

"I face the first situation in which I don't merely disagree with Apple but am rather wondering whether it has lost its mind."

"Apple's damages theory for the trial (...) is an objective insanity"

At upcoming trial, Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per device for only five software patents (http://ift.tt/1enjlQh)

Not to mention that this could backfire on Apple, when they later have to pay Samsung and others. A jury could decide that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I find it strange that Google is stepping in, maybe because Samsung is the best selling Android device.

Though Samsung has stopped, you can't doubt how much inspiration they drew from the first few iPhones. Down to changing their earphones to white, charger to a 30 pin shape, white boxes, color scheme packaging. A benefit of the doubt is gone based on their history with other popular handsets pre-iPhone such as blackberry and Nokia.

I'm glad Samsung has somewhat found their way of making phones now but their tactics of copying to get into market before changing is still hard to put up with especially to a giant like Apple.

can't believe there are people actually defending Samsung. Anyone with a brain stem can tell that the phone looked identical minus the samsung logo. I think the only defenders are blind Apple haters who are claiming that Apple are the blind ones. Look at the evidence and tell me that the Samsung Galaxy whatever (stupid naming convention) is not the same as the iPhone3GS. Not to mention that as soon as Apple continued using this iPhone 4 design, samsung had to stop coming up with their design for the S3, S4 they all look the same as each other. It's like they are just following in Apples foot steps.

People hate on Apple for not changing their design for a few version but then no hate for Samsung sticking to the same design for their versions? BLIND Apple hate.

If I was Apple I would be suing relentlessly until I got things sorted. I don't like to have my ideas/artwork stolen and sold for profits. This is how Apple make a living. You go start working for free and have others sell the stuff you do for their benefit then come back here and tell me Samsung are not in the wrong.

PS this is Samsung suing Apple this time so stop hating on Apple for bringing this up.

The main crook in the picture is google not samsung..

I alway wonder why google was not the one apple went after first !

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

What absolute rubbish! Sure, if it was any other company other than Samsung, then I think you'd kind of have a point. But this is Samesung, one of the largest copy-cat companies in the world. They've been busted via official documents admitting to thieving the iPhone design, as well as many other Apple designs. Their "hidden" agenda is to copy, make a huge profit from the theft, get busted, go to court, get sued, appeal, delay, appeal again, and eventually pay damages which are only a fraction of the massive profits they've made from their rip-off designs (not all, but many). Like I said - any other company other than Scamsung...

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Samsung Electronics' mobile head paycheck hits $5.8 million, beating Apple's ... - Reuters

J.K. Shin, president of Mobile Communications Business for Samsung Electronics, gives a keynote address during the International CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada March 23, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

(Reuters) - Head of Samsung Electronics Co's mobile business, J.K. Shin, received a $5.8 million compensation package last year, beating the paycheck of his counterpart at U.S. rival Apple Inc, the South Korean firm said on Monday in its first such disclosure under new regulations.

The world's biggest technology company by revenue said Shin's pack included a base salary of 1.17 billion won and 1.6 billion won in incentives and performance bonus.

By comparison, Apple chief executive Tim Cook received $4.25 million in 2013, little changed from the previous year when he had been paid $4.17 million.

Shin, who has led Samsung's mobile business since 2009, has since overseen the launch of its flagship Galaxy handsets that helped it unseat Apple in the smartphone market and also sparked patent litigations the world over that claimed Samsung copied the look and feel of the U.S. firm's iconic mobile products.

Samsung's other co-chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun, who leads the component business, earned even more, taking 6.77 billion won home, while third co-CEO Yoon Boo-keun, the head of its consumer electronics business, received 5.09 billion won.

South Korean financial authorities changed regulations late last year, requiring listed companies to include annual compensation details of executives who earn more than 500 million won in their business reports filings.

But the measure also drew some criticism as it does not shed much light on pay details of some high profile owners of business conglomerates or chaebols, as they frequently assume non-executive titles.

Samsung didn't disclose remuneration details of J.Y. Lee, non-executive vice chairman and son of its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who is also non-executive chairman and receives no salary from Samsung. ($1 = 1069.3000 Korean Won)

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible - Wired

iTunes Radio could get more visibility through its own iOS 8 app. Image: Apple

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. This week, reports on what to expect in iOS 8 have started rolling in. But as always, we’ve parsed the week’s rumors, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: iOS 8 Icons Leaked

Apparently someone in China got their hands on an early build of iOS 8, and has leaked images of its homescreen, including icons of yet-to-be-released iOS 8 apps. Some of the icons are essentially copycats of their OS X counterparts, and as such, don’t fit in with the iOS 8 aesthetic at all. While 9to5Mac says these images align with what they’ve heard the icons will look like, we would expect them to look different in the final build of iOS 8, so we’re calling bogus on this one.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Exploring Optical Sensing for 3-D Gesture Recognition

A a pair of patent applications published Thursday highlight how Apple could use 3-D gesture recognition to enhance its mobile and desktop products (and it’s certainly not the first time). Apple could perform Microsoft Kinect-like object identification, according to the first of the two patents, “Imaging Range Finding Device and Method.” The method involves an array of light emitters and photodetectors that would direct light at an object, which would then bounce back and get analyzed through an optical lens. Adding a couple more lenses would be an option that increases the system’s accuracy. This technology could be used in a variety of ways, including to help guide the visually impaired, to scan 3-D objects, for photo editing, and for night vision. The second patent describes how optical sensing could be used in a trackpad scenario. Your position on the pad is tracked by reflected light, and it can measure vertical, horizontal, and angular positioning as well as things like acceleration, pressure, velocity, force, and pressure. Thus, the system could detect different gestures that mean different things based on the angle and force that are applied. This sounds like it could allow for a variety of complicated gestures, particularly ones geared toward accessibility.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Next iPhones to Take Design Cues From the iPhone 5c, 7th Gen iPod

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara says that the two new iPhones coming out this year, rumored to be 4.7 and 5.7 inches in size, will take design cues from the iPhone 5c and fifth gen iPod nano. Think anodized aluminum, but available in a wide variety of colors, with the mute and volume button styled like those on the iPhone 5c. It would also have rounded rear edges, akin to the 5c. These rumors don’t sound completely far-fetched, but it’s still fairly early in the year, so accuracy and validity are still in question.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Looking Into Better Pedometer Step Detection

Oh look, another wearable-related patent! Also applicable to the iPod nano, which has a built-in pedometer, the patent filing “Wrist pedometer step detection” looks into how Apple could perform better, more accurate step detection with a device worn anywhere on your body. The system would be able to detect steps, filter out noise, and tell when a step is “missed” (in terms of signal detection) because you were swinging your arm. Using a technique called a Fourier Transform, the device would also be able to automatically tell if it’s worn on the wrist.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Updating Lightning Connector to Stop Counterfeits

An Apple patent application published Thursday describes a way for Apple to put unique identifiers in Lightning cables to stop third party counterfeits from working. While we think, in some respects, this is totally lame, on the other hand, faulty third party chargers have also been known to explode. No signs as to whether this would roll out any time soon, but it does seem like something Apple would do.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Making All Sorts of Tweaks for iOS 8

Apple will likely give us a first look at iOS this June at WWDC — just three months away. So it’s not too surprising that the look and features of the next version of iOS are starting to take shape. Each iteration of iOS features a number of enhancements, but 9to5Mac lists a few possibilities: The Game Center app may get nixed, while the service continues to exist in apps that use it; Apple could implement automatic deletion of iMessage threads to free up space on your device; and a redesign of the Voice Memos app could make it more intuitive. At the moment, these particular examples are all “maybes,” according to 9to5Mac, but no doubt small (and large) changes like these will eventually show up in the new OS.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Moving iTunes Radio to Its Own App in iOS 8

In an effort to boost usage, Apple could move iTunes Radio from the Music app to its own app in iOS 8 this year. This would give the feature greater visibility, and make it more of a direct competitor with other streaming apps like Rdio, Spotify, and Pandora. Apple does have a history of doing this: Its Podcasts app had its beginnings in the Music app, and Apple gave iTunes University content its own app too.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Expanding iCloud Functionality in iOS 8

Apple will likely be expanding iCloud to make it a more robust file system replacement with new features in iOS 8. Namely, Apple will introduce TextEdit and Preview apps so that you can view those files (saved in iCloud) both on iOS and OS X devices. However, the apps will be read only, according to 9to5Mac’s report, with document editing available in iBooks, for PDFs, and Pages, for TextEdit documents. TextEdit and Preview were two of the questionable leaked icon images we mentioned above.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: iOS 8 Will Include Vastly Upgraded Maps App

9to5Mac is also offering a detailed look at one of the biggest new features of iOS 8: Maps. Maps launched with iOS 6 so riddled with errors and mistakes that Apple fired both SVP Scott Forstall and Maps manager Rich Williamson over the debacle, and issued a public apology. Since then, Apple’s improved the looks of the app, and has made several acquisitions that will let Apple improve data on the backend, including better labeling and points of interest. Apple will also finally add public transit directions — perhaps the largest missing feature of the app (at least for city dwellers). Apple could also add an augmented reality feature for finding nearby points of interest in the app, but this could be further down the pipeline.

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Judge overrules Samsung objection to jury video depicting Apple devices - PCWorld

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh on Sunday overruled Samsung Electronics’ objections to showing jurors a recent instructional video on how patents work, ahead of a trial in a patent dispute between Apple and Samsung.

The South Korean company claimed that the video suggested at a minimum that Apple’s products are patentable and innovative. The new video, called “The Patent Process: An Overview for Jurors,” was developed by the Federal Judicial Center to provide jurors with an introduction to the patent system, and was posted to YouTube in November last year.

Samsung on Friday objected to the FJC video which it said includes several scenes in which Apple products are depicted and used. It recommended that the jurors be shown an earlier video that was also shown to the jury in another patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in the court, and does not feature products and brands at issue in the trial.

A note from the FJC to the November 2013 video states that individual judges will want to review it and consult with counsel before deciding whether to use it in a particular case, Samsung said in its filing.

At the 2:55 mark on the new video, for example, a series of Apple products are shown, including an iPad, a newer model of a laptop computer, and an iPhone, Samsung said. “The narration during this portion of the video addresses how the disclosure of a patent may ‘inspire new inventions,’” Samsung’s counsel wrote in a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division.

“At the 4:35 mark, the requirements that a patent be new, useful and non-obvious are shown on the screen in front of a still image of an Apple computer,” the counsels wrote in the filing.

“At a minimum, the video strongly suggests that Apple’s products are innovative and patentable,” Samsung’s attorneys wrote. Showing the jury such a video would be prejudicial to Samsung and threaten the impartiality of the jury, according to the filing.

In her order on Sunday, Judge Koh wrote that the parties shall bring the November 2013 version of the video, and shall include a handout referenced in the video in the jury binders.

In the lawsuit, Apple claims that Samsung infringed five of its patents in 10 models of phones and tablets, while Samsung has counterclaimed that Apple has infringed on two of its patents in nine phones and tablets.(

The case covers some of both companies’ better known and recent smartphone and tablet models such as the Galaxy S III and the fourth-generation iPad. On Monday, the two parties are expected to start with jury selection.

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Google Plays a Bigger Role in Latest Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit - Mac Rumors

Google engineers, including former Android Chief Andy Rubin, may testify during the second patent lawsuit trial between Apple and Samsung, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Samsung will reportedly use the testimonials to prove that it licensed four out of the five software features it is accused of infringing upon, as it contends that Google had already been working on the technologies before Apple filed for patents.

To help defend Samsung, Google engineers are expected to take the stand to refute Apple's arguments that it forged new ground with the iPhone. Andy Rubin, the former head of Google's mobile business who oversaw the development of Android, is listed as a potential witness. Mr. Rubin worked for Apple from 1989 to 1992.

"Google will be a lot more front and center than in previous cases," said Michael Carrier, a patent expert and law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "Google vs. Apple makes it more of a clash of the titans on the same turf."

Apple's list of asserted patents include those for hyperlinking, background syncing of data, Siri's universal search capabilities, auto-complete, and slide-to-unlock. Samsung states that all of these features found on its Galaxy devices are Android features, except for slide-to-unlock functionality. The second trial covers more recent devices such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, the iPhone 4/4s/5, the iPad 2/3/4, the iPad mini, and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch.

Following the conclusion of the original patent lawsuit that covered older devices, and the subsequent damages retrial to redetermine a segment of the reward, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $890 million.

A report last week also noted that Samsung plans to call Google's VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, and Todd Pendleton, Samsung's marketing chief for its U.S. telecoms division to the stand. Meanwhile, Apple expects to call marketing chief Phil Schiller and possibly former SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall among many others.

Could someone please explain the whole Apple vs. Samsung thing to me? Who is suing who, and for what exactly?

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

By the time this is all settled these devices will have been discontinued. What a huge waste of money.

Yep. IIRC, it involves the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

I hope neither one wins. This is like the poster child of why software patents (and their trials) are just plain dumb.

For example, the "universal search" is something that people have been doing for years. Whether or not Samsung infringed, all hinges on what a missing comma means, and which year dictionary is used. You might as well flip a coin.

Ditto for the "hot links" for recognizing things like phone numbers in text, and for keyboard "word completion", or for Samsung's patent on compressing video.

None of these are novel inventions, so it comes down to whether or not one company's developers implemented something in the same way that the other filed a patent on... a situation which is NOT about copying, but about developers doing the same thing a world apart.

.

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress, meaning the Samsung devices look so similar that users can't even tell the difference. Apple produced a document with something like a 130+ bullet point review by a Samsung employee of Apple's device and how to copy it.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents, meaning technical patents that are so basic that one cannot hold-out - by law, it must be licensed to anyone for a "reasonable fee". Apple contends that Samsung is asking for more than the value of the standard patents, effectively desiring to steal value from Apple in excess of the value of the patents.

The nihilists who want to claim both sides are equally at wrong proclaim that both are suing for patents, and both claims are thus equivalent and absurd or cancel out, or proof that there should be no such thing as patents.

The Samsung brigade claims Samsung suing is proof that Apple copies too. Furthermore, it downplays the fact that Samsung devices were blatant copies by the absurd reduction of the iPhone to "a black rectangle", and, as Samsung's lawyers said "who can have the right to black rectangles". The insult to everyone's intelligence not withstanding, the Samsung brigade has taken up the lawyer's slogan.

The Apple brigade claims that Samsung is a shameless copy-master with copying so ingrained in it's corporate culture that the poor kleptocrats don't even understand right from wrong anymore.

Helpful?

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

It's obvious.

Sadly the longer Apple drags on with legal assaults, less time and money go towards doing innovating things.

Wow, didn't realize the lawyers were doing double duty as designers and engineers as well! And the fact that Apple's massive $150 billion cash hoard was used completely up for this trial must be devastating! Man, Apple must be on hard times that they have to rely on lawyers write all their software code and do their product design innovations.

Hopefully the lawyers can finish this trial quickly so they can make it back to Cupertino in time to finish working on the iWatch.

/sarcasm

Sure. Apple is suing Samsung for basically wholesale copying of the iPhone, both in terms of software and trade-dress,

This trial has nothing to do with trade dress.

Samsung is counter-suing on the basis of standard-essential patents,

This trial has nothing to do with SEPs.

This trial, like most software patent trials, is about asking a jury of people off the street to decide technical issues that often confuse people with decades of specific experience.

And of course, it's about infringement, not copying, since it's extremely unlikely that either side stole any code or even looked at the other's methods.

Then there's the royalty payments that Apple wants. They're so outrageous, that even Florian Mueller, who is well known as being pro-Apple and anti-Samsung, wrote:

"I face the first situation in which I don't merely disagree with Apple but am rather wondering whether it has lost its mind."

"Apple's damages theory for the trial (...) is an objective insanity"

At upcoming trial, Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per device for only five software patents (http://ift.tt/1enjlQh)

Not to mention that this could backfire on Apple, when they later have to pay Samsung and others. A jury could decide that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I don't know why but a feeling tells me Apple will win again.

I find it strange that Google is stepping in, maybe because Samsung is the best selling Android device.

Though Samsung has stopped, you can't doubt how much inspiration they drew from the first few iPhones. Down to changing their earphones to white, charger to a 30 pin shape, white boxes, color scheme packaging. A benefit of the doubt is gone based on their history with other popular handsets pre-iPhone such as blackberry and Nokia.

I'm glad Samsung has somewhat found their way of making phones now but their tactics of copying to get into market before changing is still hard to put up with especially to a giant like Apple.

can't believe there are people actually defending Samsung. Anyone with a brain stem can tell that the phone looked identical minus the samsung logo. I think the only defenders are blind Apple haters who are claiming that Apple are the blind ones. Look at the evidence and tell me that the Samsung Galaxy whatever (stupid naming convention) is not the same as the iPhone3GS. Not to mention that as soon as Apple continued using this iPhone 4 design, samsung had to stop coming up with their design for the S3, S4 they all look the same as each other. It's like they are just following in Apples foot steps.

People hate on Apple for not changing their design for a few version but then no hate for Samsung sticking to the same design for their versions? BLIND Apple hate.

If I was Apple I would be suing relentlessly until I got things sorted. I don't like to have my ideas/artwork stolen and sold for profits. This is how Apple make a living. You go start working for free and have others sell the stuff you do for their benefit then come back here and tell me Samsung are not in the wrong.

PS this is Samsung suing Apple this time so stop hating on Apple for bringing this up.

The main crook in the picture is google not samsung..

I alway wonder why google was not the one apple went after first !

Not helpful at all. This is how misinformation gets spread. The thinly veiled knocks on Samsung are not convincing in an honest summary. You would have been better served by just saying "Samsung copied the s#%t out of Apple's ideas". I personally think they both need to stop this crap but that's just my opinion. No matter which company wins, it doesn't benefit us at all.

What absolute rubbish! Sure, if it was any other company other than Samsung, then I think you'd kind of have a point. But this is Samesung, one of the largest copy-cat companies in the world. They've been busted via official documents admitting to thieving the iPhone design, as well as many other Apple designs. Their "hidden" agenda is to copy, make a huge profit from the theft, get busted, go to court, get sued, appeal, delay, appeal again, and eventually pay damages which are only a fraction of the massive profits they've made from their rip-off designs (not all, but many). Like I said - any other company other than Scamsung...

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Samsung Electronics' mobile head paycheck hits $5.8 million, beating Apple's ... - Reuters

J.K. Shin, president of Mobile Communications Business for Samsung Electronics, gives a keynote address during the International CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada March 23, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus

(Reuters) - Head of Samsung Electronics Co's mobile business, J.K. Shin, received a $5.8 million compensation package last year, beating the paycheck of his counterpart at U.S. rival Apple Inc, the South Korean firm said on Monday in its first such disclosure under new regulations.

The world's biggest technology company by revenue said Shin's pack included a base salary of 1.17 billion won and 1.6 billion won in incentives and performance bonus.

By comparison, Apple chief executive Tim Cook received $4.25 million in 2013, little changed from the previous year when he had been paid $4.17 million.

Shin, who has led Samsung's mobile business since 2009, has since overseen the launch of its flagship Galaxy handsets that helped it unseat Apple in the smartphone market and also sparked patent litigations the world over that claimed Samsung copied the look and feel of the U.S. firm's iconic mobile products.

Samsung's other co-chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun, who leads the component business, earned even more, taking 6.77 billion won home, while third co-CEO Yoon Boo-keun, the head of its consumer electronics business, received 5.09 billion won.

South Korean financial authorities changed regulations late last year, requiring listed companies to include annual compensation details of executives who earn more than 500 million won in their business reports filings.

But the measure also drew some criticism as it does not shed much light on pay details of some high profile owners of business conglomerates or chaebols, as they frequently assume non-executive titles.

Samsung didn't disclose remuneration details of J.Y. Lee, non-executive vice chairman and son of its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who is also non-executive chairman and receives no salary from Samsung. ($1 = 1069.3000 Korean Won)

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible - Wired

iTunes Radio could get more visibility through its own iOS 8 app. Image: Apple

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. This week, reports on what to expect in iOS 8 have started rolling in. But as always, we’ve parsed the week’s rumors, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: iOS 8 Icons Leaked

Apparently someone in China got their hands on an early build of iOS 8, and has leaked images of its homescreen, including icons of yet-to-be-released iOS 8 apps. Some of the icons are essentially copycats of their OS X counterparts, and as such, don’t fit in with the iOS 8 aesthetic at all. While 9to5Mac says these images align with what they’ve heard the icons will look like, we would expect them to look different in the final build of iOS 8, so we’re calling bogus on this one.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Exploring Optical Sensing for 3-D Gesture Recognition

A a pair of patent applications published Thursday highlight how Apple could use 3-D gesture recognition to enhance its mobile and desktop products (and it’s certainly not the first time). Apple could perform Microsoft Kinect-like object identification, according to the first of the two patents, “Imaging Range Finding Device and Method.” The method involves an array of light emitters and photodetectors that would direct light at an object, which would then bounce back and get analyzed through an optical lens. Adding a couple more lenses would be an option that increases the system’s accuracy. This technology could be used in a variety of ways, including to help guide the visually impaired, to scan 3-D objects, for photo editing, and for night vision. The second patent describes how optical sensing could be used in a trackpad scenario. Your position on the pad is tracked by reflected light, and it can measure vertical, horizontal, and angular positioning as well as things like acceleration, pressure, velocity, force, and pressure. Thus, the system could detect different gestures that mean different things based on the angle and force that are applied. This sounds like it could allow for a variety of complicated gestures, particularly ones geared toward accessibility.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Next iPhones to Take Design Cues From the iPhone 5c, 7th Gen iPod

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara says that the two new iPhones coming out this year, rumored to be 4.7 and 5.7 inches in size, will take design cues from the iPhone 5c and fifth gen iPod nano. Think anodized aluminum, but available in a wide variety of colors, with the mute and volume button styled like those on the iPhone 5c. It would also have rounded rear edges, akin to the 5c. These rumors don’t sound completely far-fetched, but it’s still fairly early in the year, so accuracy and validity are still in question.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Looking Into Better Pedometer Step Detection

Oh look, another wearable-related patent! Also applicable to the iPod nano, which has a built-in pedometer, the patent filing “Wrist pedometer step detection” looks into how Apple could perform better, more accurate step detection with a device worn anywhere on your body. The system would be able to detect steps, filter out noise, and tell when a step is “missed” (in terms of signal detection) because you were swinging your arm. Using a technique called a Fourier Transform, the device would also be able to automatically tell if it’s worn on the wrist.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple Updating Lightning Connector to Stop Counterfeits

An Apple patent application published Thursday describes a way for Apple to put unique identifiers in Lightning cables to stop third party counterfeits from working. While we think, in some respects, this is totally lame, on the other hand, faulty third party chargers have also been known to explode. No signs as to whether this would roll out any time soon, but it does seem like something Apple would do.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Making All Sorts of Tweaks for iOS 8

Apple will likely give us a first look at iOS this June at WWDC — just three months away. So it’s not too surprising that the look and features of the next version of iOS are starting to take shape. Each iteration of iOS features a number of enhancements, but 9to5Mac lists a few possibilities: The Game Center app may get nixed, while the service continues to exist in apps that use it; Apple could implement automatic deletion of iMessage threads to free up space on your device; and a redesign of the Voice Memos app could make it more intuitive. At the moment, these particular examples are all “maybes,” according to 9to5Mac, but no doubt small (and large) changes like these will eventually show up in the new OS.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Moving iTunes Radio to Its Own App in iOS 8

In an effort to boost usage, Apple could move iTunes Radio from the Music app to its own app in iOS 8 this year. This would give the feature greater visibility, and make it more of a direct competitor with other streaming apps like Rdio, Spotify, and Pandora. Apple does have a history of doing this: Its Podcasts app had its beginnings in the Music app, and Apple gave iTunes University content its own app too.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Expanding iCloud Functionality in iOS 8

Apple will likely be expanding iCloud to make it a more robust file system replacement with new features in iOS 8. Namely, Apple will introduce TextEdit and Preview apps so that you can view those files (saved in iCloud) both on iOS and OS X devices. However, the apps will be read only, according to 9to5Mac’s report, with document editing available in iBooks, for PDFs, and Pages, for TextEdit documents. TextEdit and Preview were two of the questionable leaked icon images we mentioned above.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: iOS 8 Will Include Vastly Upgraded Maps App

9to5Mac is also offering a detailed look at one of the biggest new features of iOS 8: Maps. Maps launched with iOS 6 so riddled with errors and mistakes that Apple fired both SVP Scott Forstall and Maps manager Rich Williamson over the debacle, and issued a public apology. Since then, Apple’s improved the looks of the app, and has made several acquisitions that will let Apple improve data on the backend, including better labeling and points of interest. Apple will also finally add public transit directions — perhaps the largest missing feature of the app (at least for city dwellers). Apple could also add an augmented reality feature for finding nearby points of interest in the app, but this could be further down the pipeline.

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