Sales of Apple’s iPhone, iPad banned by German court

BionicRasher

Got what they deserved if you ask me

http://www.bgr.com/2011/12/09/sales-of-apples-iphone-ipad-banned-by-german-court/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBoyGeniusReport+%28BGR+|+Boy+Genius+Report%29

Zonda999

Nothing really becomes of these really, it'll be overturned someway or other.. Only people who win from these are lawyers IMHO...

Theres probably enough stock of ios devices around Europe to ensure this doesn't really matter. If its going to have any effect, it has come at a bad time a couple of weeks before xmas though

BionicRasher

Apple did stop the sale of Samsung Tablets in Australia for a few months. Looks like Motorola are going to dig their heels in here and make Apple implement a change in their OS
I would be surprised if this was just brushed under the carpet

Professey Chin

Google found a few Motorola patents to put to work then.

Zonda999

Article says that it was filed in April though, The Goole Moto deal did not surface until about August. When google get started, we'll be seeing a few more of these probably. Thye didn't invest 12.5 billion dollars in that company for nothing.. Could be a rocky few months coming uop for apple's legal teams..

thomasj

Zonda999 wrote: »

Nothing really becomes of these really, it'll be overturned someway or other.. Only people who win from these are lawyers IMHO...

Theres probably enough stock of ios devices around Europe to ensure this doesn't really matter. If its going to have any effect, it has come at a bad time a couple of weeks before xmas though

Maybe so but bear in mind that this is not the first time a german court has sided with motorola over apple.

http://www.gsmarena.com/german_court_grants_motorola_formal_injunction_against_apple-news-3352.php

Motorola seem to be having as much luck over apple as apple is having over samsung in the german courts.

Solair

Apple really needs to learn how to play well with others.

The iPad/iPhone and Mac product lines are entirely dependent, like all consumer electronics, on other companies' innovations. Radio protocols, chips, screens, large % of software, and all sorts of other things were developed by third parties.

Most of the time these companies all just license each others' technologies and come up with mutually beneficial agreements that allow the industry to move forward. Apple has a tendency to grab the ball, take it out of the court and throw a temper tantrum like a 3 year old shouting "mine!, Mine! mine!".

Apple's core competencies are physical product design and UI design. Suing the likes of Nokia was a very foolish move in my opinion as it is a company that spent decades and tens of billions on hard-technology R&D in the mobile field. The same goes for Motorola, Samsung, Ericsson, LG etc. Samsung and LG R&D also takes it into areas like display technologies and processors.

Apple seems to have started this patent war but, they only have patents on the high level user interface / product design elements. If they continue burning companies that actually own patents on fundamental technologies, they will find themselves in very serious trouble as those companies start to countersue.

Mobile technology in particular revolves around a number of major R&D houses and they're quite different to the R&D houses that Apple's used to in the PC/computer world in so far as they also sell their own consumer products.

Apple should be well able to protect its own market share by simply remaining cutting edge and 'cool'. This patent trolling is doing nothing other than giving them bad press and creating terrible relations with other companies.

Also, the smart phone market is growing exponentially and there is more than enough room for all of the major players. Apple's products will always occupy a certain highly profitable, large niche and they are attractive to end users as they generally are very innovative in terms of design.

So, I really don't see why they bother shooting themselves in the foot with this kind of nonsense.

Interesting article on R&D spend!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/visualized-nokia-randd-spending-almost-3-times-its-peers/

Extract:

Professey Chin

Solair wrote: »

So, I really don't see why they bother shooting themselves in the foot with this kind of nonsense.

......fear..

PogMoThoin

I'm pretty sure Apple import all their products into Europe through Germany

BionicRasher

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I'm pretty sure Apple import all their products into Europe through Germany

Also mentions Ireland

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Dec. 9, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) (“Motorola Mobility”) today announced that the court in Manheim, Germany (the “Court”) has ruled that Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) European sales company, Ireland-based Apple Sales International, is infringing one of Motorola Mobility’s core cellular communications patents related to data packet transfer technology (GPRS) through its sales of the iPhone and iPad devices. The Court granted Motorola Mobility’s requests for an injunction and damages.

amdaley28

What goes around comes around:D Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch

Solair

Apple's Operations and Sales divisions are a bit confusing.

Their European sales are entirely coordinated out of Cork.
As per their website:

Apple Sales International
Hollyhill Industrial Estate
Hollyhill, Cork
Republic of Ireland

Registration Number: 157192
Registered at the Companies Registration Office, Ireland

Share Capital Issued: $1,456,688.80

VAT Number (UK): 689589343
VAT Number (Ireland): 6554690W

Dammer

Hhhhmmm as its a radio packet infringement (GSM, GPRS 3G etc, etc) it should not affect iPad sales with WiFi only.

Or is WiFi (IEEE 80 somethingortheother) also radio packet data?

Interesting times ahead - US Gov to defend Apples right to a monopoly, declare Germany as having WMD unless they reverse the courts ruling