Law Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Judge Koh reduces damages in Apple v. Samsung case by $450 million, orders new trial

by Randy Nelson (Mar 1st, 2013)

There's been a significant development in the court case that saw Apple awarded US$1.05 billion in damages last August. According to The Recorder, Judge Lucy Koh has ordered that the amount Samsung must pay Apple be reduced by $450 million, or almost 40 percent, and that a new trial be held to ...

David Einhorn drops his lawsuit against Apple

by Randy Nelson (Mar 1st, 2013)

Greenlight Capital hedge fund manager David Einhorn has decided to end what Apple CEO Tim Cook has referred to as a "silly sideshow" by dropping the lawsuit he'd brought against 1 Infinite Loop in early February. Filed in conjunction with other Apple shareholders, the lawsuit sought to force ...

Apple ordered to pay VirnetX $363K daily in patent dispute

by Randy Nelson (Feb 27th, 2013)

Here's one way to force two warring companies to hash things out. A federal judge has ordered Apple to cough up more than US$360,000 daily to VirnetX until the two can come to an agreement on the former licensing four of the latter's patents. The penalties stem from a verdict delivered in ...

Apple fails to get Galaxy Nexus sales ban reinstated

by Mike Wehner (Jan 31st, 2013)

After the US Court of Appeals reversed a proposed sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus this past October, Apple requested that the ban be reconsidered. The request was a long shot and it didn't swing in Cupertino's favor, as Reuters reports that the ban has been shot down by the court yet ...

Apple scores trademark for store design

by Mike Wehner (Jan 31st, 2013)

Given that Apple is well-known for its iconic, glass-heavy store designs, the fact that the company has been attempting to trademark its look shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Now, Mashable reports that as we approach the three-year anniversary of Apple's attempt to trademark the design, ...

US judge won't help Samsung in Japanese suit against Apple

by Randy Nelson (Jan 24th, 2013)

Samsung's latest legal maneuver in its ongoing patent war with Apple has been shot down by a US court. The company was attempting to get Judge Paul S. Grewal to issue a subpoena demanding that Apple turn over evidence so it could use it in a case getting underway in Japan. The evidence included ...

Apple's warranty practices questioned in Belgium

by Kelly Hodgkins (Jan 15th, 2013)

Belgian consumer watchdog agency, Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats, is not happy with the AppleCare protection plans offered to customers who purchase Apple hardware. The group has filed a complaint that claims Apple doesn't properly explain consumer rights when it markets and sells these warranties to ...

New services allow app piracy without jailbreaking

by Mike Wehner (Jan 2nd, 2013)

With the fall of app piracy tool Installous and the seemingly difficult-to-jailbreak iOS 6 holding its own, it might appear that those who prefer to pirate apps rather than pay for them would be having a rough time. According to TNW, that's simply not the case. Thanks to a pair of services ...

Court dismisses Apple's false advertising claim against Amazon's 'Appstore'

by Randy Nelson (Jan 2nd, 2013)

According to Bloomberg, online retailer Amazon has scored a big win against the 1 Infinite Loop gang in court. Apple has been trying since March 2011 to have Amazon's use of the term "Appstore" to describe its, well, app store for Android applications declared fale advertising. Today, a judge ...

Attempts to ban Apple devices could see Samsung fined $15 billion

by Randy Nelson (Dec 28th, 2012)

The European Commission has made it clear that it's none too happy with Samsung over the company's attempts to get Apple devices including the iPhone and iPad banned there. The Guardian reports that the commission is claiming Samsung tried to use so-called standard-essential patents to request ...

Apple drops Galaxy S III mini from patent case

by Randy Nelson (Dec 28th, 2012)

More news today from the ongoing legal tussle between Apple and Samsung. Reuters reports that 1 Infinite Loop's lawyers have withdrawn the Galaxy S III mini handset from the company's ongoing patent infringement case against Samsung. The device was added to the lawsuit just last month. The ...

Apple ordered to pay settlement in Chinese App Store copyright case

by Randy Nelson (Dec 27th, 2012)

Imagine you're an author and you find out that someone has been selling your books on the App Store without your consent -- and, worse, you don't see a dime of the profits. That's what happened to a group of eight writers in China, and a court there has decided that Apple owes them ...

China to crackdown on trademarks following "iPad" issue

by Mike Wehner (Dec 24th, 2012)

Trademarks in China are a notoriously shady business, but according to Reuters, that's something the country is trying to change. Chinese authorities will begin reviewing trademark laws in hopes to prevent so-called "malicious" registrations, or attempts to glean money from established ...

Italian authorities fine Apple again over warranties

by Mike Wehner (Dec 21st, 2012)

By now, Apple should be pretty familiar with Italy's standards regarding product warranties, but it seems that despite already being fined roughly $1.2 million, the company's troubles are not over. AppleInsider reports that after being hit with the fine, Apple continued to push AppleCare's ...

USPTO rejects Apple touch input patent used in Samsung case

by Randy Nelson (Dec 20th, 2012)

The US Patent and Trademark Office has handed Apple a tentative rejection of a touch recognition patent that was part of the company's $1.05 billion court victory against Samsung in August. According to FOSS Patents, all 20 claims of US Patent No. 7,844,915 have been invalidated, but it was ...