Legal Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

iPhones, iPads increasingly subject to search warrants

by Dave Caolo (May 3rd, 2012)

iPhones and iPads are rapidly becoming a primary computing device for many users. As such, they're increasingly subject to search and seizure by legal authorities, according to GigaOM. The first time a search warrant was issued for an iPhone was shortly after the device debuted in 2007. Since ...

Apple wants courtroom cleared while Steve Jobs deposition is played

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (May 1st, 2012)

Universal Music Group is embroiled in a few lawsuits involving money owed to producers and artists, and in the course of events depositions by Eddy Cue and Steve Jobs were recorded at some point. Now, as these cases near trial, Apple is seeking a modification to a protective order to keep those ...

Judge Richard A. Posner scolds Apple's lawyers

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 1st, 2012)

Well-known Circuit Court Judge Richard A. Posner told Apple's lawyers that he is tired of the company's courtroom antics in its patent dispute with Motorola. According to a report in FOSS Patents, Posner writes in a recent order, "I've had my fill of frivolous filings by Apple. The next such ...

Apple wins discovery ruling in dispute with Samsung

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Apr 24th, 2012)

Business Insider reports that Apple has won a round against Samsung in court. A California court ruled Monday that Samsung failed to produce documents referencing Apple's designs and features. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal said Samsung violated multiple court orders by not doing this. ...

iPad 4G branding strategy defended by Apple in Australia

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 20th, 2012)

In an ongoing battle in Australia over the use of 4G in the iPad name, Apple's now arguing that its naming convention adheres to the standard use of the term 4G. According to a report in The Australian, Apple claims, The descriptor '4G'... conveys to consumers in Australia that the iPad ...

Apple reportedly in talks with iPad trademark challenger in China

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 20th, 2012)

According to a Computerworld report, Apple and Chinese company Proview are in talks to resolve their dispute over the iPad trademark in China. The case is being heard in the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province. Before it hands down a ruling, the court recommended the two companies meet ...

Samsung claims Apple is infringing on eight patents in California documents

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 19th, 2012)

Executives from Samsung and Apple may be sitting down to discuss patents and infringement, but the legal battle between the two companies is far from over. According to a report from FOSS Patents, Samsung accused Apple of infringing on eight patents in a California lawsuit filed last Wednesday. ...

HTC says its touchscreens don't violate Apple patents in UK court

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 19th, 2012)

Apple and HTC are exchanging blows in a London court case over claims the Taiwanese manufacturer infringes on four Apple patents, says a Bloomberg report. These patents cover various multi-touch gestures, photo zooming and scrolling, slide-to-unlock and the use of a multilingual alphabet when ...

Apple and Samsung to meet in San Francisco for settlement talks

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Apr 17th, 2012)

As reported by FOSS Patents: "Within 90 days, they will make another effort to settle their dispute. They will meet in a San Francisco courthouse for settlement talks that will be overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero." This is still semi-voluntary and doesn't mean anything will ...

Australian government, Apple still disagree on branding of 4G LTE iPad

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 16th, 2012)

Apple is going head-to-head against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in a Melbourne Federal Court on Monday, says a report in The Sydney Morning Herald. At the heart of this dispute is the use of 4G in the iPad name in Australia. The ACCC asserts that the 4G in the ...

Apple officially responds to DOJ's antitrust case

by Michael Grothaus (Apr 13th, 2012)

Apple has officially responded to the antitrust claim brought against the company by the US Department of Justice. In the claim the DOJ says that Apple worked with five major publishers to illegally fix eBook pricing. In response to the lawsuit Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD: The ...

Apple allowed to intervene in Lodsys patent case

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 13th, 2012)

Last year, patent holder Lodsys filed lawsuits against iOS developers including James Thomson, Patrick McCarron, IconFactory, Combay, Rovio and more. Apple stepped in and filed a motion to intervene on June 9, 2011. The motion was finally granted this week, says a report in FOSS ...

Reuters: Justice Department ready to sue Apple over ebook price fixing (Updated)

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 11th, 2012)

A report from Reuters suggests the Department of Justice could file a lawsuit against Apple today over alleged ebook price fixing. Publishers involved in the price-fixing scheme are supposedly settling with the government, while Apple has stayed out of the negotiations. As a result, Apple could ...

Settlement may have been reached in missing iPhone 4S case

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 8th, 2012)

Remember that missing iPhone 4S that was allegedly lost at the Cava 22 lounge and tracked to a residence in San Francisco? The home was possibly searched illegally by Apple security and the home's owner, Sergio Calderon, threatened to sue. It appears the whole debacle may have been settled ...

Apple drops alert patent in Chicago litigation against Motorola

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 6th, 2012)

Apple and other handset manufacturers are involved in so many lawsuits that it's difficult to keep up. Earlier this week, another infringement lawsuit in Chicago that's been around for a while resurfaced because Apple dropped a patent from the lawsuit. Apple was complying with a request from ...