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Apple-Samsung verdict a ‘wake-up call’ for Google

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In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, Google’s vice president of corporate development David Lawee said that the results of the landmark infringement trial between Apple and Samsung served to change the company’s view on tech patents. Lawee said of Google, “We weren’t patenting things as aggressively as we should have been. We didn’t believe rounded corners were patentable.”

The last sentiment is an obvious jab at Apple design patents that scored the Cupertino-based company victory over Samsung. Samsung had argued that things as simple and rectangles with rounded corners we such commonplace elements in the mobile industry that Apple’s patents pertaining to such aesthetics should be ruled invalid. Google seems to agree with that claim.

Lawee continued to say that the results of the trial served as a “wake-up call,” forcing the company to become a bit more agressive in the intellectual property space. Some would argue that Google has been quite aggressive in acquiring new patents through the buyout of Motorola and Nortel’s IP portfolio, both of which occurred long before the court reach a decision in the case. Lawee seems to be implying, however, that the company now will be more likely to leverage those patents.

[via AllThingsD]

Kevin Krause
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37 Comments

  1. Um, Google failed to obtain Nortel’s patents …

    Hey look, another Kevin Krause factual error ..

    1. Wasn’t that the one where Google bid some arbitrary number that, as we later found out, turned out to be the first few digits of PI, or something like that?

      1. True, but not until after having already bid Brun’s constant & Meissel-Mertens constant :)

        http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/02/us-dealtalk-nortel-google-idUSTRE76104L20110702

      2. Google bid PI billion dollars and other constants just for fun and to make the others look bad. The EVIL consortium won the patents (MS, Apple, RIM and others), but had to pay a lot more due to Google pranks.
        Apple paid more than 1 billion dollars for those FRAND “useless” Nortel 3/4G patents, the same that Samsung is due to pay for the infringement on design/trade dress.
        No so much money on these corporates point of view.

    2. This actually makes sense though. Since there’s no actual news, Phandroid forgoes the “Android Overload” post (that simply links to news), and instead paraphrases someone else’s reporting.

    3. He seems to make errors lot

  2. Who compares two tablets when one is on the home screen and one is in a specific part of the UI? If you compare something, make it EQUAL GROUNDS. As in, both homescreens in their intended orientation. So a widget filled homescreen in landscape for the Tab 10.1. And this isn’t a jab at Phandroid of course, but these photos are quite popular. And wrong.

    1. Various papers/websites use that photo, is blatantly misleading, what I find really interesting is the fact the “Samsung” logo is missing of the Tab 10.1!!!!

      1. I agree, purely misleading.
        And about that Samsung logo, the first wave of Tabs didn’t have that logo. My first Tab did not. When my screen got damaged (Newton rings), I shipped it off to fix it and they returned it to me with new glass and a Samsung logo on the bottom of it.

        1. ahh right, well In the UK they had the logo from day 1, mine did anyway!

          1. Ah, I see. Strangely my first one in the US did not. But I think the logo looks good, I’m glad they added it to mine :P

    2. I agree completely. It bothers me that they keep showing the app drawer as if it’s the home screen.

    3. Yeah that photo pisses me off and I wish tech sites that knew better (hint hint) would quit posting it.

    4. Almost every apple-Samsung article has this picture. You would think that this being a android Site that the author would know how wrong that picture is on so many levels. But they keep using it. Might as well call every android phone a DROID too.

      1. I agree, but Samsung used the same app drawer photo in the packaging of the first units and some adds. I don’t say that its the same, but Samsung tried too hard to be like Apple with the first galaxy S and galaxy tablet (And TW).
        Now the design of the Note 2 and S3 is very different (Better, may say thanks to apple?). All from a Samsung user (Currently with International Note1 that is amazing with Paranoid JB).

        1. Do a search for the boxes of both companies again, because I’m not sure where you’re coming from. Theres is a big difference between Samsung’s branding and Apple’s branding.

          It would take a complete dolt to miss the Galaxy Tab wording on the front of the box along with Android robots popping out of a screen. The retail box shows widgets on the home-screen. The google I/O box also has lots of Androids floating about along with a single row of icons, not a grid pattern — which of course Apple did not invent.

          And how does anyone confuse a black box that states Samsung Galaxy S on the front, with a box that shows just a picture of an iPhone?

          So how is Samsung trying too hard to be like Apple? Come on, that’s BS that only stems from wanting ignorance.

          Samsung’s products are only similar to Apple’s in the same respect that a car is similar to another vehicle. And we’re talking about Apple here, the same company that has “borrowed” almost all of its designs from others.

          1. Well as we know the European courts agree with this. I guess if you can’t tell the difference between your face and your arse then you would be in that category of people that would mistakenly mix-up the Galaxy Tab and the iPad?

          2. The recent results of the Apple-Samsung suit were a farce, agreed. But Samsung *has* tried to hard, at least in the past, to be like Apple. Especially as the parent comment said, with the first Galaxy S aesthetically. That doesn’t make patent law any more sane, or moronic trial results less stupid. But your acknowledging reality at least shows your state of mind. :)

      2. I hear nails on chalkboard every time I hear someone with a non-verizon/Motorola phone call it a DROID. MY GOD HOW I HATE IT!!!

    5. I agree. That photo really annoys me as to get to that app drawer screen you need to perform two actions after you unlock. It isn’t an “orange for orange” comparison.

      Apple makes fantastic products, sales are sales. But … for low technology-IQ people in MY opinion. I’m not trolling I’ve used a 3G, 3GS and 4 and since I had my Dell Streak whilst using a work provided Iphone 4 I realised how much more Android offers… I’ve since had a Galaxy S, Motorola Atrix and now the Galaxy S3.

      None of these remotely mimic the simplistic iOS.

      Reason why I say the above is because all of those “Apple” fanboys will take the above image as gospel believing that when you look at an Android device it will look identical to the Apple device. Little do they know that the App Drawer is only a very small part of the UI experience on Android…

      Also, if Apple could get 1billion for rounded corners how much will Google get for the blatant Notification bar Rip-off (and a poor job at that)?

  3. a wake up and time to sue apple call

    1. I think that’s what he is getting at, “We weren’t as agressive as we should, because we thought these cases wouldn’t hold up in court. Apparently we were wrong there, and now we will crush Apple at their own game.” Well, that might be a bit of paraphrasing, but essentially the same thing.

  4. #http://goo.gl/UsTOr

  5. I hope we see Google and other companies scrambling to buy up some “Prior Art” patents that just to make Apple’s life miserable in court.

  6. IBM and the designer of the Simon (the original smartphone) should sue all companies that make smartphones they all stole their idea. Apple has only survived by copying others. They see another company developing something and they rush to build almost an identical product ,but when it hots the market first It’s plagued with tons of glitches. If we can’t go on and and improve what the guy next door is providing isn’t that considered monopolizing.

  7. That’s just what we need a big us company to get into this war against apple

  8. Google should adopt the Motorola process for getting patents. Every few months, they get all the top tech people together (no managers), and brainstorm for a day or two or three about the future and possible future patentable ideas, and then they go patent them immediately. That has kept Motorola way ahead of the competition (with the obvious exception of rounded corners ;)

  9. Not to mention Apple’s “unified search” patent, that should just be embarrassing for Google.

  10. Have you guys read the USA Today article about Apple Pass book? It’s a glorified version of Keyring, yet the article makes it seem like Apple is pioneering NFC and mobile phone payments. Ridiculous.

    1. Business as usual for Apple and the media. It doesnt help if ppl in the media also believe Apple invented the world..

  11. Anyone who says they’re currently aggressive is retarded. Buying Moto doesn’t count. They bought the patents. They still have many unpatented ideas of their own. They have major room to improve. Also, how in the hell can you look at the mobile industry today and even say GOOGLE is aggressive? In comparison to the play ground bully. (Apple of course.)

  12. Now Apple is even going after a Polish deli!

  13. Google, take the gloves OFF.

  14. Hate the apple fanboy image. Remove please.

  15. Never mind, guess it was just regurgitated from all things digital.

  16. This is going to sound weird to say at this point in time but how did apple ever convince anyone that patents meant diddly squat to anyone but themselves. I mean, I get they have a purpose but not like apple used them.

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