Apple vs. Samsung: Opening Statements in the (Patent) trial of the century

E. Betters

Apple and Samsung appeared in a San Jose federal court today, where U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh presides, to give opening statements starting at 9 a.m. PST.

Apple filed the first suit in this monumental case in April 2011. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company claimed Samsung infringed its patents by “slavishly copying” its iPhone. Samsung, a South Korea-based Company, promptly countersued.

This is one of the important cases to go to trial among a slew of other litigations on smartphone patents. If Apple wins, Samsung could suffer a financial blow and the ability to sell its infringing products in a large market. If Apple loses, its “thermonuclear war” against Android smartphone manufacturers could essentially wither away as Samsung collects royalty fees.

This morning’s most notable highlights are below (continually updated).

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Microsoft willing to settle with Google/Motorola, posts call for ‘A Solid Foundation for Patent Peace’

Jordan Kahn

Microsoft is no stranger to signing up Android vendors to licensing agreements. Most of the major Android device manufactures are already paying the company royalties, and Microsoft is currently involved in various cases with Motorola in the U.S. and elsewhere. The latest from Microsoft’s intellectual property group is a statement posted by the group’s head Horacio Gutierrez and Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith (via AllThingsD). In a message titled “A Solid Foundation for Peace”, Microsoft explained its willingness to negotiate a settlement of its current litigation with Motorola:

Microsoft has always been, and remains open to, a settlement of our patent litigation with Motorola. As we have said before, we are seeking solely the same level of reasonable compensation for our patented intellectual property that numerous other Android distributors – both large and small – have already agreed to recognize in our negotiations with them. And we stand ready to pay reasonable compensation for Motorola’s patented intellectual property as well.

However, within the post, Microsoft also noted its requirements for reaching a settlement over its various Android-related patent cases with Motorola—which include a comprehensive agreement covering all patents in question:
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Verizon stops blocking tethering apps on Android, settles for $1.25M fine

Seth Weintraub

So, those tethering apps that Verizon use to block on the Google Play store?  Not cool, says the Federal Communications Commission. In fact, Verizon had to pony up $1.25 million for the trouble, according to a press release issued by the F.C.C. today.

The F.C.C. determined that the nation’s largest wireless carrier, according to GigaOm, was in the wrong in this situation, because Verizon purchased spectrum in 2008 that required it to allow open access to its network. Whoops!

The press release follows:

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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s sister is now a Google Employee

Seth Weintraub

Funny Story: Google just picked up Wildfire, the social networking analytics company for a reported $250 million.

As BI notes, one of those Wildfire employees that will be integrated into Google is Zuck’s sister, Arielle. Clearly, there might be some issues with hiring the sister of who founded Google’s major competitor. But, these things happen.

Arielle Zuckerberg is a junior product manager at Wildfire, and she maintains a blog where she even critiques Facebook on its design.

It will be very interesting to see if she joins Google with her colleagues.

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Google buys social ad firm Wildfire for a reported $250M

E. Betters

Google just acquired social media marketing company Wildfire.

AllThingsD reported ”people familiar with the transaction” estimate Google bought the social ad business for $250 million, “plus earnouts, employment agreements, etc.”

Wildfire currently serves 16,000 customers, including 30 of the top 50 brands, and it reportedly raised $14 million since founding in 2008. Google will likely merge Wildfire into its ever-expanding social and advertising services to better entice marketers into buying either traditional or display ads for a variety of platforms— even direct rival Facebook.

Both companies took to their respective blogs today to confirm the buyout (below).

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