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Apple and HTC Settle Patent Dispute
An anonymous reader writes "HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential. From the article: '"HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation," Peter Chou, HTC's chief executive, said in a statement.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, also expressed relief in a statement. "We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation," he said.'"
HTC uesd to be a legitimate contender, so Apple did all they could to block them from the market. With all the resources HTC has diverted to the patent wars, they can't really compete anymore and Apple probably doesn't see them as a legitimate contender. Apple probably just figures they might as well suck whatever money's left taking from them. Borrowing from the Ars article on the same topic, HTC (read: the little guys) is just the upfront victim of the patent wars.
I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
the SCO Linux licensing agreements by this?
Could it be that HTC have started performing badly as a company, so Apple don't consider them worth the lawyer fees any more?
HTC thought it would be a good idea to settle with a patent troll?
There can be no doubt anymore !!
The link appears to bring up a paywall for me, either that or a bunch of ad-laden crap that privoxy flushes.
Here's a better link
Perfect summary of every Android device.
..HTC phones come with an added Apple Tax? The article doesn't mention what the patents in question were. I have a One X, and I'll say this - If I had to choose a manufacturer skin I'd go with Sense anyday over Samsung's Touchwiz. Can't imagine what HTC might have copied off Apple if it's UI related. They have a fully customizable home screen, themes, skins, extra widgets...none of which you'll find on any iPhone.
"..One hosts to look them up, one DNS to find them, and in the darkness BIND them."
Actually, the post was "Why you can't build your own smartphone", but that didn't fit.
It is impossible to build a smartphone without violating imaginary property laws. So no small, scrappy entrepreneur with a dream will ever be able to make one and sell it. The only people who can make smartphones are big-time players with the money to fight the lawsuits. The barrier to independent entrepreneurship to an impossible level.
Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
Want to increase productivity, reduce costs and foster innovation ?
Just kill all the lawyers.
Very curious about what happened here?
Maybe Apple gave them decent terms as long as HTC swallowed a bit of a poison pill: the patent license deal dies if HTC is purchased by, or merges with another company (Apple did something similar with RIM). The last thing Apple wants is consolidation that would make the Android ecosystem healthier.
Or maybe MS played a role? It was reported that HTC managed to get Microsoft on side, largely by agreeing to continue to make Windows Phones'. Maybe having Microsoft on their side helped in negotiations with Apple.
Maybe it's divide to conquer? If the weaker manufacturers in the Android ecosystem have a license to use all the basic touch screen methods, and the stronger ones don't then it could lead to greater inconsistency between Android phones and could weaken the strong players (i.e. Samsung).
Ultimately, Apple's biggest threats are Samsung and Google/Nexus. I mention Nexus in particular because there is nothing that Apple & MS could hate more then the low margins of the Nexus devices. Whether or not the Nexus 4 itself is a success, the nexus line has become a threat to the traditionally high margins on mobile devices and it must have re-inforced Apple's determination to kill Android.
The whole situation is beyond fucked-up.
It is not acceptable, that you have to license 250,000 patents (as stated in a recent /. "article"), just to build a mobile phone.
Yeah, people who did years of research for a great idea deserve something back. But 1. PEOPLE. Not companies. NEVER companies. 2. if they did years of research, but their result is shit and so barely worth anything, but necessary, then they do NOT deserve to name their own crazy extortion prices, 3. rounded corners are NOT patentable, 4. ideas are not patentable! ideas "on a computer" are STILL not patentable! (because impossible to enforce in practice, not because good ideas wouldn't be worth anything. [not that anyone nowadays really would have a good idea. they all just have "engineer ideas". which are really shitty ones, that get realized anyway, because the "inventor" is an idiot who tried to work ten times as hard to make his shitty "ideas" come true, and so they are the ones coming true.])
I, for one, won't give a fuck about patents! They stopped existing! Whatcha gonna do? Sue? Who? I am not the one who wrote that software. It is this "anonymous person on the Internet" that nobody can get at, and even if, would end up at Apple, Monsanto or another of those criminal bastard companies, so they can sue the shit out of each other.
Patents, Copyright, Trademarks, and all that imaginary property bullshit always was a crime, and always will be!
That's great news, Tim. You've got some catching up to do. :)
HTC's One series phones are a lot better
That's because us iPhone owners don't care
I change my wallpaper once every 6 months or so. I cant even remember if I even set my iPhone 5's wallpaper
that's nice
too bad for them i like the iphone or Galaxy S3
Samsung is android at this point. they are the only ones making money in the android phone sector. at least in the USA. everyone else is losing money
Perfect summary of what females think of you.
"We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation,"
As opposed to what? 'not really focused' or 'cheap torch focused'
Cheers
The corporate-speak Nazi
Samsung is android at this point. they are the only ones making money in the android phone sector. at least in the USA. everyone else is losing money
Simply not true, Sony is making awfully inroads. In fact its counteracting loses on its PC's. Ironically LG now they have got rid of Microsoft are profitable again. Asus is posted great success with its new nexus tablets. I also believe Google are doing quite nicely, and recently are going to focus on mobile first not second. Huawei and ZTE is doing great too. Lets be honest its a smartphone market...its an Android market
Just because your iPhone is failing, with its massive drop in market share from 23.1% to 14.9% does not mean the rest of the industry is doing badly :)
unit sales and revenue does not equal profits
Apple and Samsung take home something like 95% of all mobile PROFITS
for slashtarts profits is what you have left over after you build and sell your device and pay off all the costs associated with it. everyone else loses money or fights for the scraps left over
That's because us iPhone owners don't care
I change my wallpaper once every 6 months or so. I cant even remember if I even set my iPhone 5's wallpaper
...but the market has noticed. The market is noticing that Apple are behind on both software and hardware, and better value phones are available elsewhere, which is why Android outsells Apple 5:1.
Maybe Apple should focus on providing a great experience so disappointing users, like those over maps will not happen again. Rather than pretending the opposition its working day and night to provide great products.
Apple and Samsung take home something like 95% of all mobile PROFITS
LOL there is no share of profits, There are only profits...and these companies are making profits on phones. This is a lie and you can't show me the figures. Apple does overcharge its customers, but lets face it posting bullshit from the days when we still talked about the "iphone killer" simply do not fly now, even the Samsung Galaxy on its own outsells the iphone, are we meant to pretend that Google makes nothing from its play store and advertising. Bury your head in the sand, Android has hit 75% and your still claiming it to be unporfitable. You live in fantasy land.
Ironically the days of any Apple dominance are over in pursuit of those profits. In fact in the Android market Apple is struggling to remain relevant.
This is the 15th Android-related contract.
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/11/apple-htc-settlement-is-already-15th.html
Meanwhile, Federal Trade Commission staff have formally recommended that the government sue Google over anti-trust violations involving the licensing of FRAND patents.
I work for ATT and we only offer 1 sony phone at a time, especially in the last year. And they are pretty too look at, but just awful phones, that no one really buys, and when they do, they are returned rather quickly, and the ones that keep them are fraught with warranty replacements. Sony is not making any inroads in the US market.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Tim Cook wouldn't know innovation if the zombie corpse of Steve Jobs rose from the dead and bit him in the face.
This is the 15th Android-related contract.
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/11/apple-htc-settlement-is-already-15th.html
Meanwhile, Federal Trade Commission staff have formally recommended that the government sue Google over anti-trust violations involving the licensing of FRAND patents.
LOL android is free. Patent abuse will of course continue, with Microsoft, and Apple abusing the system for there own gains. The bottom line is Microsoft phones have hit a high of...2%, and Apples are down from 23.1% to 14.9%. Clearly they should be innovating instead of litigating.
The reality is though Patent settlements are what the mobile industry have *always* been about. Hell its part of the reason why FRAND exists.
Ironically the days of any Apple dominance are over in pursuit of those profits.
Uh... you're delusional. Apple is doing better than it has ever done... wait, scratch that... Apple is now more profitable than any company in history ever. kthxbai.
Sony is not making any inroads in the US market.
The US market is irrelevant. The world market is, and Sony are now the 4th largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world [up from 7th]. Sony phones are doing awfully well.
Uh... you're delusional. Apple is doing better than it has ever done... wait, scratch that... Apple is now more profitable than any company in history ever. kthxbai.
Its market share in mobile phones has dropped from 23.1% to 14.9% its tablet share has dropped to 50.4%. Its ipod shares have shrunk to nothing, Android outsell Apple 5:1.
"the days of any Apple dominance are over in pursuit of those profits" I pretty much stand by that quote. The reality is Apple is have been riding high on market dominance [real and perceived] cashing in on all the and adopter money with massive mark-ups...but these are now mature markets. Apple has nowhere to go and its massive share drop reflects that. Lets face it its an Android world now.
Only with bigger screens, more memory and better performance. Unless there is a prohibitive per-unit cost, they will also be cheaper. Apple may have made a boo-boo.
Your figures need citations... looks like you're talking about the US only, where, indeed, Apple is in third place. Despite this, in 2012 alone, Apple has had more growth in mobile marketshare than any other single company, and their marketshare will continue to grow. But you go ahead and believe what you want in your twisted fantasy world, because outside of that, your worst nightmares are coming true.
For two reasons, I thin HTC won't be commissioned by Google to make a Nexus device:
1. HTC is on its last legs, more or less. They are ready to make deals with any and all, and their willingness to have prominent Windows phones is a sign of that (I know Samsung also makes Windows phones, but in case of Samsung, they are just symbolic gestures). That makes HTC a liability, to the Android ecosystem.
2. The deal with Apple likely includes a poison pill, and Google may not want to touch HTC anymore.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Your figures need citations... looks like you're talking about the US only, where, indeed, Apple is in third place. Despite this, in 2012 alone, Apple has had more growth in mobile marketshare than any other single company, and their marketshare will continue to grow. But you go ahead and believe what you want in your twisted fantasy world, because outside of that, your worst nightmares are coming true.
I am using IDC's latest figures.
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23771812 for mobile
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23772412 for tablets
To put Apples market decile of 23.1% to 14.9% in some sort of perspective Android grew its market share from 52.8% to 75%.
Clearly I had no trouble backing up my figures. Perhaps you should have used an Android device to check your facts. Then you wouldn't look so foolish.
My bet is that they came to an agreement because HTC hold some LTE patents that Apple need:
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
I can t speak for eveyone - but I had an HTC phone as my first android phone. It was OK and it wasnt enough to put me off HTC. HOWEVER... when I went looking for a new model to replace it I took my bad experiences with the phone with me when I was looking. I wanted a phone with an SD Card (micro) slot. My new phone runs a 64 GB micro SD card. That makes a huge difference over a 16GG non expandable phone.
Power was (and is) an issue on weekend days when Im using the phone a lot and Im not near a power point - so I looked for the biggest battery and reviews that said good battery life. (and since then - Ive added the ability to access and change the battery - I now carry 2 spare Batteries in my backpack. They provide me with MORE power than I can use in a day NO MATTER what I do or run on the phone.
To a lesser degree - but still something I looked for were CPU speed - and all the models I looked at just lagged a little bit behind the best - memory (no better than anyone else) and the Camera - Ive stopped carrying my point and shoot camera's because although my android phone ISNT as good - its easy, fast, always on me and I can upload any pics I take - on the spot. HTC's cameras just didnt seem to match the others....
The locking down of the bootloaders also DID NOT impress me - although its a decision they have backed away from - but with me and others it made the company seem customer unfriendly.
Where HTC DID seem to excel was in audio quality but that wasnt something I care enough about (I wear out headphones every few months and so I dont spend the money on headphones to make audio the decisive quality. WHAT DO OTHERS THINK. Why are you not buying HTC phones ?
But you are comparing 1 company (Apple) to the multiple companies who sell Android devices (Samsung, LG, Sony, Google themselves and now apparently HTC). Certainly, Apple's market share has shrunk as other companies enter the market wit competitive products. This does not however, spell the imminent demise of Apple. if we look at Apple's quarterly report from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, we can see they actually improved profit year-on-year.
As to your comment downthread about global smart phone sales, well it seems Apple is doing alright there.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/06/15/apple-samsung-55-of-global-smartphone-sales-90-of-profits/
Apple's flagship product is thug lawsuits. Apple will continue business as usual.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
But you are comparing 1 company (Apple) to the multiple companies who sell Android devices (Samsung, LG, Sony, Google themselves and now apparently HTC). Certainly, Apple's market share has shrunk as other companies enter the market wit competitive products. This does not however, spell the imminent demise of Apple.
I will ignore your out of date figures. we are now have quarter 3 figures published, and again you have failed to supply a breakdown of profits for smartphones, or even an explanation of how the current figure is worked out [seriously they do not exist]. Please do not twist my comments into what they are not. I have nowhere claimed there Apples "imminent demise", I personally believe they have failed to make the transition from new market to mature market, and its already started to hurt them.
I would love a breakdown of profit by company on a hardware and content combined basis, but you again fail to supply a list. A mythical figure combing Apple with Samsung is equally a nonsense especially when trying to prove Apples relevance.
The bottom line is Apple is losing Market share, and its desire to keep its massive profits is the problem.The very thing you are trying to defend.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/06/15/apple-samsung-55-of-global-smartphone-sales-90-of-profits/
In case I haven't enphasised how stupid and out of date this post I include this quote from the original article "“At this point in the year, Nokia will have to grow its Windows Phone business 5000% in 2012 just to offset its declines in Symbian shipments,” says Michael Morgan, senior analyst, devices, applications & content.
Q3 Microsoft Phone 2%
Where are you reading this? From your own source *Top Six Smartphone Mobile Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, Q3 2012 (Preliminary) (Units in Millions) :
OS
3Q12 Shipments 26.9
3Q12 Market Share14.9%
3Q11 Shipments 17.1
3Q11 Market Share13.8%
Year-Over-Year Change 57.3%
That is an increase from 13.8 to 14.9%. Not a decrease.
HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation," Peter Chou, HTC's chief executive, said in a statement. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, also expressed relief in a statement. "We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation,"
That's hilarious! HTC is. HTC is pleased. Yeah, HTC. HTC can FINALLY focus on innovation instead of litigation.
Isn't focusing almost exclusively on litigation APPLE'S thing?
tuppe666 is a notorious fantasy land troll... do not let the facts stand in his way, he has an axe to spin
This article sums it up the best: http://www.androidanalyse.com/is-the-htc-apple-deal-a-good-thing-for-android/ - Apple is not going to soften up on Android at all.
Even if ip rights weren't a problem, making sure your spiffy new phone doesn't blow up or having the kind of industrial capacity to build these things are bigger barriers to entry.
Try again.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Your figures need citations... looks like you're talking about the US only, where, indeed, Apple is in third place. Despite this, in 2012 alone, Apple has had more growth in mobile marketshare than any other single company, and their marketshare will continue to grow. But you go ahead and believe what you want in your twisted fantasy world, because outside of that, your worst nightmares are coming true.
I am using IDC's latest figures.
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23771812 for mobile
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23772412 for tablets
To put Apples market decile of 23.1% to 14.9% in some sort of perspective Android grew its market share from 52.8% to 75%.
Clearly I had no trouble backing up my figures. Perhaps you should have used an Android device to check your facts. Then you wouldn't look so foolish.
Sasy the right guy - not only have you not provided a source for your 23.1% number, you also showed that in the quarter people waited for the iPhone 5 to come out, Apple has grown its market share by over a percentage point.
As for tablets, that number by IDC is always quite suspect (Samsung outselling the Nexus tablets and Kindles combined?)- but even then, in the quarter of iPad killers (finally) and before the iPad Mini, Apple still dominates the market.
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Sony will be lucky to see the end of 2014 as an independent company. They have made a habit of strategic error and poor customer service.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
I would love a breakdown of profit by company on a hardware and content combined basis, but you again fail to supply a list. A mythical figure combing Apple with Samsung is equally a nonsense especially when trying to prove Apples relevance.
The last numbers I saw had Apple with 71% of the profits, Samsung with 37% of the profits, HTC with 1.x% of the profits and [everyone else] is *losing money.
*which is how the profits add up to >100%
The bottom line is Apple is losing Market share, and its desire to keep its massive profits is the problem.
15% of the market = 71% of the smartphone industry profits
We should all be so lucky to have such a record to defend.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
The comparison is valid. Apple is, like all companies, competing against all of the rest of the world. If 10,000 companies each take on average 0.01% mobile market share with Android, there is no market share left for Apple.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
That is an increase from 13.8 to 14.9%. Not a decrease.
Unfortunately the iPhone is not a Christmas tree, last years Q3 is not representative of this years Q3. Phones aren't seasonal. Look at the *interactive* graph at the bottom. More worrying For Apple than anything is Q312 actually contained the launch of the iPhone5.
not only have you not provided a source for your 23.1% number, you also showed that in the quarter people waited for the iPhone 5 to come out
Interactive graph too difficult for you to look at. Move your mouse over it. If a graph is too difficult for you to read, simply look at previous IDC figures. :). FYI it wasn't the quarter people where waiting for the iPhone to come out....it was the quarter the iPhone did come out :).
The last numbers I saw had Apple with 71% of the profits, Samsung with 37% of the profits, HTC with 1.x% of the profits and [everyone else] is *losing money.
*which is how the profits add up to >100%
Again show me the working. I would love to see it :). I want to see solid figures. As I said its a poor guestimate by a fanboy, quoted by other fanboys.
You made a mistake in punctuation. I fixed it for you. You're welcome.
You made a mistake in punctuation. I fixed it for you. You're welcome.
This is a quote from Sony Global Earning release. Maybe you should leave my comments alone.
"Sales increased 112.1% year-on-year (a 125% increase on a constant currency basis) to 300.4 billion yen (3,851 million U.S. dollars). This increase was primarily due to the consolidation of Sony Mobile from February 2012, partially offset by significantly lower sales of PCs resulting from a decline in unit sales."
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/index.html
Its ipod shares have shrunk to nothing
What exactly did you mean by this? What product has taken over the 4"-class Wi-Fi tablet market from the iPod touch?
or maybe it was because one was about operating systems and the other was about smartphones.
They're both about operating systems, as I understand it. Some of the features that Apple claimed are common to all smartphones that run the Android operating system.
The US market is irrelevant
The major English-speaking markets as I understand them are the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Two-thirds of the population of these countries lives in the United States. Slashdot is also operated and hosted in the United States. So how does this make the United States market irrelevant for the purpose of a Slashdot discussion?
So Samsung is on its way out as a supplier in the Apple chain ... and HTC has design expertise on at least the LCD panels front. Could this all be part of HTC angling to win the supply chain inside track for Apple?
"Ahh! I see you're in that indeterminate Schrodinger state where - oh, uh
We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation
Actually, because laser beams have a gaussian intensity cross-section, they are a pain in the ass to focus. He'd get a much tighter focus spot with plain old regular light (or even better, UV, since the diffraction spot scales with wavelength).
So there.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
Comparing previous IDC figures with current figures for previous quarters show they are full of it. BRTW: who will you insult after the results for this quarter are out?
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that Sony is "doing awfully well" in the phone space. The increase was primarily due to "consolidation of Sony Mobile" - in other words, "we purchased it and made it a wholly owned subsidiary, and so now their numbers show up in our statements."
They're not ACTUALLY selling more, they just get to claim the sales from what WAS a previously independent company as their own on their statements.
Also, citing "sales" figures rather than "profits" is retarded, because if you're losing money with every sale, you sure as fuck aren't making it up in volume. Sony is not making any significant profits out of the phone market, and soon will exit the market altogether.
Dipshit.
Slashdot is overrun with loudmouth fandroids who are on some kind of god-given mission to prove to everyone around them that Android is The Way and the Truth (or something like that)
So what is The Way and the Truth? Assume for a moment that someone wants to buy a mobile device and run applications distributed under a free software license on it. The device's operating system would have to meet these two requirements:
What mobile operating system other than Android meets these two requirements?