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Sale of Galaxy Nexus Banned in the US

Posted by Unknown on from the courts-give-up-and-ban-everything dept.

New submitter busyqth writes "After the injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 earlier in the week, A U.S. district court judge has now also granted an injunction against the sale of Google's flagship ICS phone, the Galaxy Nexus. Is Steve Jobs laughing in the great beyond? Is this the beginning of the end for Android?" Two blows to Samsung in one week, and now the FTC is investigating Google for misuse of Motorola Mobility patents in relation to RAND standards.

35 of 696 comments (clear)

  1. Well they are both rectangular by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I once walked into a store and banged down hundreds of dollars for an iPad only to find once I got it home it was a Samsung Galaxy tablet. Perhaps the words on the box, the different software, the different colour, the different interface should have tipped me off, but heck, they were both RECTANGULAR with a BUTTON.

    So judge Koh is protecting poor people like me, who desperately want an iPad but accidentally buy a competitor that out powers it, out functions it, comes in a wider range of varieties and is developing faster than it.

    Incredible to think a single person can do so much good for the world and all without any bribe money!

    1. Re:Well they are both rectangular by TemperedAlchemist · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pah! Just wait until Apple catches wind that I own the patent for rectangular boxes!

    2. Re:Well they are both rectangular by SomePgmr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Apparently the decision was based on, "Apple's claim to the patent to search multiple sources, which Apple says is the basis of Siri. [...] Judge Koh said 'Apple has articulated a plausible theory of irreparable harm [because] of long-term loss of market share and losses of downstream sales."

      On the surface of it, it sounds awfully stupid to me. If I'm remembering correctly, "searching multiple sources" by voice query existed in Android devices first, no?

      http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/06/breaking-judge-grants-apple-an-injunction-against-the-galaxy-nexus/

    3. Re:Well they are both rectangular by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Crap like this is why I've been saying for awhile people need to quit worrying about MSFT, which under Ballmer the only real skills they seem to have anymore is blowing money and shooting themselves in the face, and start worrying about Apple.

      Just remember folks that Jobs before he died said he would happily spend his fortune to "Nuke Android" and I wouldn't be surprised if Cook hasn't forgotten those words. I'm sure he knows with Ballmer at the helm MSFT isn't a threat, as Zune and Kin and WinPhone 7 made quite clear, but high end Android devices with faster refreshes and newer and more powerful hardware IS very much a threat. I have a feeling its gonna get a whole lot nastier and I agree, if I was Samsung I wouldn't sell them so much as a screw.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    4. Re:Well they are both rectangular by SternisheFan · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Did'ja ever notice how when a bully is confronted with the truth, they get louder. They start to attempt to intimidate by any means at their disposal. When confronted with facts, they get confused, and don't know what to do as their audience catches on and begins to drift away. That's when they become more desperate and turn to larger bullying tactics. Then the bullied either stands their ground or meekly lets the bully win. There are times when the best course of action for the bullied is to walk away, and hopefully live to fight another day. IMHO, for this is not one. Apple has been losing their ardent followers for some time now. People have seen android as a very viable alternative, and are switching over. Apple knows this, or they wouldn't be resorting to these bully tactics. I root for the underdog in life, and love it when the bullies lose.

    5. Re:Well they are both rectangular by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ford sues GM cuz "their's looks like a box with wheels and it goes vrooom vrooom, just like ours. It cornfuses people, make 'em stop."

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    6. Re:Well they are both rectangular by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Apple is in danger of triggering Armageddon. Google has been fairly good natured so far, but if they decide to start a war things can only get worse for the consumer.

      We need to put a stop to this. Patent reform is the only way.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:Well they are both rectangular by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Funny

      Shouting to a room of grad students or interns?

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    8. Re:Well they are both rectangular by Lorien_the_first_one · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'll go one further and say patent abolition is the only way to stop it.

      --
      The diversity and expression of human opinion is essential to human survival.
    9. Re:Well they are both rectangular by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I am not sure about Armageddon, but Google has money and this is a solid, concrete example of patents as a true hinderance to the advancement of the economy.

      In this case maybe we play the fucked up short-term game to get a needed long-term change.

    10. Re:Well they are both rectangular by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Forget the absurdity of the similarity claims and the who's done it first angle... this phrase from TFA should be enough to draw some conclusions:

      Koh granted the injunction after Apple argued that the Galaxy Nexus phone caused it irreparable harm due to long-term market-share loss and "losses of downstream sales," according to The Next Web.

      This is simply anti-capitalism stated on a single sentence. Basically, from what I grasp, the idea is "we need to avoid that competitor's action because we would lose money if competition were to happen".

      I intended to throw a joke to mock the US for this kind of reasoning in the legal system, but the situation is actually kinda depressing and worrying when one assess where the current trends are taking the entire country. Although I'm not from the US, it makes me pause just thinking about the long term consequences of these changes.

      Maybe someone smarter than me could figure out what we'll have in the future, since capitalism might join socialism in the History books.

    11. Re:Well they are both rectangular by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      On the surface of it, it sounds awfully stupid to me

      Stupid or not, Surface is a registered trademark of Microsoft - pay up.

    12. Re:Well they are both rectangular by Piata · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is the best car analogy in the history of Slashdot.

    13. Re:Well they are both rectangular by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is simply anti-capitalism stated on a single sentence. Basically, from what I grasp, the idea is "we need to avoid that competitor's action because we would lose money if competition were to happen".

      Patents are inherently anti-competitive. In fact, limiting competition is their entire function.

      (I almost said "their entire purpose," but then corrected myself: the "purpose" of patents is to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts." Whether patents' purpose and function jive with each other is another issue entirely...)

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    14. Re:Well they are both rectangular by atriusofbricia · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If this gets upheld, Apple will be able to get an injunction on every Android phone because this is a core OS feature. I'd say that affects consumers. Plus, it seems like there's a pretty good chance that Google could find some patent between theirs and Motorola's that applies to the iPhone, which could lead to a counter ban. Maybe (hopefully) it won't get that far, but this is the patent armageddon that people have been worrying about with all these lawsuits.

      On the contrary, this is exactly what needs to happen. Google should search their patents and find every single one that could apply to every single Apple device. Once they've built their case they should, without a seconds warning, nuke Apple with everything. Seek injunctions against Apple's entire business. Once granted, bring them to the table to sort all this stupidity out.

      It's either that or everyone but Apple suffers a death of a thousand cuts.

      Apple has long since passed the worst of MSFT's evil.

      --
      I was raised on the command line, bitch

      "Nemo me impune lacesset"

  2. Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Slide to unlock? Unified search bar?

    I wonder, do the engineers and techs working at Apple feel ashamed all this trolling?

    I know it's management and legal who make the decisions, but still...

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    1. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by khipu · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Take a look at both the outer design and software of Samsung's phones before and after the iPhone and say with a straight face that Samsung didn't copy at least some elements from Apple.

      Who cares? It's fine to copy elements from other devices. It's fine to make look-alike and work-alike devices of other successful devices. That's how progress is made in high tech.

      And Apple itself copied most of the iPhone design elements, and much of its functionality from other companies, including key features like desktop sync, MP3 sync, app stores, launchers, and many more. If such copying weren't allowed, there would be no iPhone.

      What makes Apple's behavior so wrong and destructive is that they copy liberally from others and then turn around and try to monopolize the market with bad patents.

    2. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 5, Interesting

      But that doesn't explain why their UI, external design, and OS suddenly became indistinguishable.

      Have you actually used a Galaxy Nexus? I have one in my pocket right now. It looks nothing like an iPhone. The physical design and the way the OS looks and feels are entirely different. Not only is the design different, the hardware is superior in many ways. My friends routinely get me to take photos at parties because in low lighting conditions the GN camera seems to do a better job than the iPhone.

      This is the most stupid decision yet. The GN has a very distinct design to the iPhone.

    3. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by scsirob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Gosh. Wow. Years ago all there was were tiny little screens and no-one could economically produce larger ones with sensible resolution and decent touch functionality. Now there are dozens of manufacturers capable of producing a 4" - 5" LCD with good touch functionality. Some of the technology making that possible will be covered by patents, and perhaps rightfully so.

      Now give this 4" touch LCD to ten designers and ask them to design a phone around that screen. Do you really think they will all be very different? Sure, some will have a keyboard, some will have one or two buttons, and some will have none. How is that innovation?

      If your view would be accepted then the first to come out with a 4-wheeled car owns the design and everyone else has to pick a different number of wheels, or a totally different wheel configuration (two on the side, one front, one back perhaps?). And we would all still be having bulky big TV's and monitors, because Sony or B&O or Philips happened to be the first to come out with a flat screen and they would own the design.

      --
      To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
    4. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by MrDoh! · · Score: 5, Informative

      JooJoo Tablet came out before the iPad was even announced I believe. I keep hearing 'well, there wasn't anything like the iPad before the iPad came out' but there were devices that worked like it (though cheap and bad Chinese Android tablets), and tablets that /looked/ like the iPad (JooJoo tablet).

      Samsung had similar designs in other places, I don't think it's a stretch of imagination to use those same designs in your own products, that someone else just happens to have also used. Though even then, hold a Samsung Android Tablet and an Apple tablet, and the difference is obvious.

      --
      Waiting for an amusing sig.
    5. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The first time I saw an iPhone, i bet the bloke who was with me that Apple had bought Mizi Research's Prizm Linux stack. http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Korean-Linux-smartphone-stack-achieves-new-release/

      I lost the bet of course.

      But to anyone who was involved with mobile devices at the time, the precursors of Apple's designs were clear; they took bits from PalmOS Cobalt, Prizm, Maemo and others.

      As far as the physical design of the phone goes, it's all about fashion. Before about 2006, smartphones were all silver or grey, had a curved lower "chin" where the button cluster lived and still-curved but flatter top. By late 2006 though, most phones marketed as stylish (LG Prada, Samsung Chocolate & F700 etc) were dark or black, becoming much more squared off and had minimalist button designs.

      I think Apple did well, they designed an iconic phone with components like processors and capacitive screens that were just becoming available at reasonable prices. However, I have no doubt if the iPhone hadn't been released, there would still be dozens of similar looking phones on the market, because that's where fashion and technology was taking them.

      Apple's been clever to ride that fashion, but that doesn't mean they're entitled to a free ride.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    6. Re:Patent trolling is the new iWhite... by khipu · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Progress in technology is made by copying what is successful and then improving on it. Forcing companies to start from scratch and break convention and compatibility in everything hinders progress.

      And copying is exactly how the iPhone improved on what was there before: Apple largely cloned Palm's functionality and UI, reused their OS that was derived from Mach and Smalltalk, and added a smattering of Nokia and Symbian into the mix.

  3. The rest of the world does not care by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well - pity for those in the US, they wont get the new stuff now...

    Fortunately the rest of the world can enjoy all those things that are forbidden in the US. Seems the US is no longer the place to get your new stuff.
    Now I am the last one to say anything about the quality or something, but at least the rest of the rest of the world has a free choice.

  4. Sensationalist submission is sensationalist. by gallondr00nk · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Is this the beginning of the end for Android?"

    Don't be so fucking stupid.

  5. Is this the beginning of the end for Android? by wild_quinine · · Score: 5, Insightful
    From TFS:

    "Is this the beginning of the end for Android?"

    No, it's the beginning of the end for Apple.

    1. Re:Is this the beginning of the end for Android? by Lorien_the_first_one · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Those who can't innovate, litigate. Seems like that would be Apple.

      --
      The diversity and expression of human opinion is essential to human survival.
  6. Support your local underdogs by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Stuff like this makes me want to buy a Samsung device right now, simply out of spite for these agressive, bullshit patent practices that limit competition and my choices as a consumer.
    Also, I have this built-in genetic disposition of always wanting to support the underdog.

    1. Re:Support your local underdogs by whisper_jeff · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You switched to an Android device because Apple stops supporting technology after _THREE_ years??? Are you joking?

      Say whatever you want about Apple but they support their tech a HELL of a lot longer than Android manufacturers who often aren't utilizing the latest version of Android the day the device hits the shelves, let along a couple months later and most certainly not after _THREE YEARS_.

      And before anyone points it out, I realize that's not Google's fault - it's the manufacturers - but to state you switched from an iOS device to an Android device because of "lack of support" is absolutely laughable.

  7. Is this the beginning of the end for Android? by GbrDead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, but it is somewhere in the middle of the end of the USA as a technological leader.

  8. And the war is on... by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm getting a definite scorched earth feel these days. The patent Cold War is over. The Patent Hot War is now on. Sadly for the general sentiment around here, it's unlikely that anyone will do anything to fix, dismantle, or otherwise create a permanent solution to the problem of patents in general. Why not? Because these wars are going to create patent lawyer dynasties. We're talking Rockefeller money here. We're talking "Excuse me, Mr. Carnegie, but you're going to have to shift down at the table at the Old Boys Club to make room for Messrs. Dewie, Cheatum, and Howe." Laws are created by lawyers. As far as they're concerned, they've already 'fixed' the system perfectly. In every sense of the word.

  9. Boycott Apple by dmesg0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Please explain to all your non-techie friends and family what Apple is doing, and why they shouldn't ever touch any Apple product until they change their way.
    It's very easy, I already prevented sale of a at least a few iphones.

    Disclaimer: I'm not working for Google, Samsung or any other mobile related company. I'm just disgusted by Apple, and boycotting is the only way to stop them.

  10. Can we end software patents now? by Mithent · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm really getting tired of tech news consisting almost entirely of mobile device manufacturers suing each other over patents for general concepts and design principles. Technology progresses and consumers benefit when ideas and concepts can spread. This isn't the same as, say, drug development, where millions of dollars go into R&D, and that massive investment must be recouped to protect innovation. These are just relatively obvious ideas where the real work is in the implementation, integration and promotion, not in dreaming up a UI concept.

    Maybe this would be a good place to mention the EFF's new campaign to reform software patents?

  11. Re:short memories by Mithent · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apple were first to commercialise them, but mouse-driven graphical user interfaces were first seen on the Xerox Alto.

  12. Re:Um, No by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't understand why you believe Apple can be placated with some design tweaks and different features. Do you work for Apple or something? You're literally the only person posting on this story taking Apples side. I work for Google and I've seen how my colleagues have consistently worked long hours to innovate and create new features. The Galaxy Nexus is an amazing phone. It's thin, and light, and doesn't even have any hardware buttons on the front at all - yet Apple still are not happy. If you can't see why you're blind.

    Apples goal is not to get competitors to "design around" their patents. This has happened several times already, the Samsung Galaxy 3 has even been called out by tech review sites for having a "lawyer approved design" (it's not rectangular, it does not have slide to unlock, etc). Apple keep coming, with newer and even more stupid patents, because their goal is not individuality, it is the utter destruction of all competitors. Steve Jobs himself said that in words so clear nobody can re-interpret them.

    What's more, it's very hard to make an Android phone that doesn't share design elements with the iPhone these days, because Apple has copied Android many times in the past few years, for example, its notifications tray is identical to the design that first shipped in Android 1.0, and inferior to the one shipping in Jellybean. Android 1.0 also shipped with a universal search box and pluggable API for it, it shipped with suspend/resume multi-tasking that is extremely similar to the (very unique) design Android came up with, and so on.

  13. Re:Silver Lining by QuasiSteve · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At which point Samsung will have $95M but will have to re-start their advertising campaign, essentially re-launch the product, and target a market that has just bought a bunch of competing products - among which iDevices from which Apple stands to gain a lot more through e.g. app store purchases, third party products such as docks that use licensed tech, etc..

    And that's assuming that by the time the decision lands the device is even relevant enough in the market to be relaunched. It may be better to launch a new product instead.
    Which Apple would then seek an injunction against.

    $95M - I'd love to have it, but I'm guessing Samsung are not particularly impressed.