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Judge Refuses Apple Request For Samsung Ban, But Denies New Trial, Too

SternisheFan writes with this news from the Register: "Apple has failed in its attempt to obtain a permanent ban on several Samsung products in the U.S., but Samsung's accusations of jury misconduct have also been rejected. As she has so many times before, Judge Lucy Koh kept things even between Apple and Samsung by rejecting most of their requests. After Apple won $1bn in its patent infringement case against the Korean firm, it set about pursuing another win in the form of permanent injunctions on the products in the case. The fruity firm wanted a California court to stop sales of the Sammy mobile phones and tablets in the U.S., but the judge said the company hadn't done enough to legally support such a ban." More details at Groklaw.

156 comments

  1. Thank the ghods. by ZorinLynx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm glad we have a judge with sense here. Banning the sale of the product will only hurt consumers and the economy, with no real benefit to either company.

    This patent bullshit is getting old and really needs some reform. :P

    1. Re:Thank the ghods. by SternisheFan · · Score: 4, Funny
      When Apple's attorneys wanted to submit a huge amount of paperwork evidence, she asked them, "Are you on crack?!"

      That's when I got a good feeling about her ability to remain fair and impartial.

    2. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I don't think that this must be attributed to common sense but to a "I am tired of this apple-samsung bullshit and have other work to do" sense.

    3. Re:Thank the ghods. by arbiter1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sad this judge should set a retrial as to how bad the jury screwed up not just with the foreman but as in terms of all the prior art they didn't even bother to look at that instructions said they had to. AN appeal will come from samsung, so as with cases like this its never over for years.

    4. Re:Thank the ghods. by jkrise · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately Steve Jobs is not alive to celebrate his thermonuclear war flops.

      --
      If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
    5. Re:Thank the ghods. by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 4, Informative

      Sad this judge should set a retrial as to how bad the jury screwed up not just with the foreman but as in terms of all the prior art they didn't even bother to look at that instructions said they had to. AN appeal will come from samsung, so as with cases like this its never over for years.

      Sigh, this again.

      The jury ignored prior art only for patents where they found no infringement. It there is no patent infringement, the 'prior art' argument is moot.

    6. Re:Thank the ghods. by poetmatt · · Score: 1

      why? She's showing signs that she might not even accept damages. She basically said flat out samsung has substantial noninfringing use. That is usually the bar for defining patent infringement in the first place.

      So the question is more like "why does she need a retrial if the result is no damages awarded"?

    7. Re:Thank the ghods. by poetmatt · · Score: 1

      Doh, saw this right after I posted. Exactly. This also explains why she is refusing any current request for a retrial as well. you'd think people can understand the difference between "somewhat frustrated judge" and actually being biased, but apparently not.

    8. Re:Thank the ghods. by slashmydots · · Score: 1

      Sense? That judge? Let's keep the trial fair by ignoring everything everyone says and then I won't look bad to the media is not sense, it's bullshit. That jury was the most crooked one I've ever heard of and she's ignoring it so not start another firestorm. Guess what, Apple started it and she has a job to do.

    9. Re:Thank the ghods. by jbolden · · Score: 2

      The jury's verdict meets the reasonable man standard. While the foreman may have been more hostile than warranted and Samsung has grounds to have the evidence looked at, in an appeal the burden will be on Samsung not Apple. I don't see how Samsung, based on what we know at this point can possibly meet that increased burden.

      As for prior art, the comments below apply.

    10. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately Steve Jobs is not alive to celebrate his thermonuclear war flops.

      Yeah... they could only squeeze a billion dollars in damages out of that verdict... I mean... it's like a token verdict... I mean, Apple technically won, but reality is the damages they were awarded really means they lost. What can you even buy with a billion dollars these days? a cup of coffee? a gumball? a postage stamp? A billion dollars isn't even worth the ink and paper it's printed on! So maybe they can recycle the paper in the money and get something for their troubles... recycled note pads or something...

    11. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The jury ignored prior art only for patents where they found no infringement. It there is no patent infringement, the 'prior art' argument is moot.

      But they jury still somehow managed to award damages even where they said there was no infringement!

    12. Re:Thank the ghods. by NixieBunny · · Score: 1

      The last I heard, there was a $1 billion damage award. Has that been overturned while I wasn't looking?

      --
      The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
    13. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Samsung is going to pull that billion right back out by raising prices on iDevice components for which they are currently the sole source.

    14. Re:Thank the ghods. by SternisheFan · · Score: 1

      Samsung is going to pull that billion right back out by raising prices on iDevice components for which they are currently the sole source.

      'If' Samsung ever has to pay. We have years to go for the appeals process to wind down.

    15. Re:Thank the ghods. by jeffmeden · · Score: 3, Informative

      Unfortunately Steve Jobs is not alive to celebrate his thermonuclear war flops.

      Yeah... they could only squeeze a billion dollars in damages out of that verdict... I mean... it's like a token verdict... I mean, Apple technically won, but reality is the damages they were awarded really means they lost. What can you even buy with a billion dollars these days? a cup of coffee? a gumball? a postage stamp? A billion dollars isn't even worth the ink and paper it's printed on! So maybe they can recycle the paper in the money and get something for their troubles... recycled note pads or something...

      Samsung electronics had $148Bn in revenue last year. So let's just say you earned $50k last year; this is like losing a court case about how your work was supposedly derived totally on the designs of someone else, and you being ordered to pay $335 and being told you are OK to keep "doin' your thang".

      So the question is, how big of a deal is $335?

    16. Re:Thank the ghods. by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think the OPs point was that the way the jury behaved was very questionable in many respects. Their verdict was inconsistent with itself and had to be sent back for them to try again not once but multiple times, if I recall correctly. Also, the foreman pretty much admitted to presenting himself as an expert and telling the jurors things that are simply not true about patent law. Not to mention the general bogosity of the patents themselves.

      The question here is, if this case is not re-tried and cannot be appealed, what does that say about the reliability of the US legal system? How could anyone sanely subject their company to a jury trial about patents when the process appears to ignore its own rules of engagement?

    17. Re:Thank the ghods. by jkrise · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah... they could only squeeze a billion dollars in damages out of that verdict...What can you even buy with a billion dollars these days?

      Very true. Which is why the idiot Steve Jobs said:

      "I don't want your money. If you offer me $5bn, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want."

      So the Judge Koh has denied Steve Job's death wish. Besides, as I understand she has yet to rule on the $1 bn damages figure, arrived at by the jury. And again, even if she upholds it, it looks very likely that Samsung would prevail on an appeal, since many of the underlying patents based on which Apple brought this case, are looking very shaky on review, around the World.

      --
      If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
    18. Re:Thank the ghods. by voiceofworldcontrol · · Score: 1

      The jury ignored prior art only for patents where they found no infringement. It there is no patent infringement, the 'prior art' argument is moot.

      This is not correct as Hogan admitted post trial to the many erroneous legal theories that he led the jury into. Judge Koh ruled that no matter how many errors the jury engaged in during jury deliberations federal law disallowed any consideration of these errors to overturn the jury verdict or order a new trial.

    19. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So the question is, how big of a deal is $335?

      Give me $335 and I'll let you know.

    20. Re:Thank the ghods. by micheas · · Score: 4, Informative

      The question "Are you on crack?" was not in response to them wanting to submit a huge amount of paperwork. It was about claiming that they could go through a large number of witnesses in the remaining time and that Samsung should have to prepare for them.

      The game that they were trying to play was to make Samsung guess which witnesses would be called in the last two days. MoFo (Apple's lawyers) tried this because they were getting away with similar tactics leading up to the trial.

    21. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also remember that just for Facetime, Apple recently lost over a third of that number.
      http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57547606-37/in-your-facetime-apple-gets-sued-by-virnetx-again/

    22. Re:Thank the ghods. by micheas · · Score: 2

      No, but the billion dollar award is not official until several motions by Samsung are heard.

      On the other hand Apple has been ordered to pay damages for the injunction against the galaxy tab that they got granted.

      News reports on the day of the trial: Samsung lost a billion dollars to Apple. Actual payments ordered so far: Apple has to pay 2.6 million (IIRC).

      It is far from clear who is going to win this trial, but MoFo has scored some impressive wins for Apple.

    23. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Samsung electronics had $148Bn in revenue last year. So let's just say you earned $50k last year; this is like losing a court case about how your work was supposedly derived totally on the designs of someone else, and you being ordered to pay $335 and being told you are OK to keep "doin' your thang".

      So the question is, how big of a deal is $335?

      Revenue isn't the important number. Any damages that Samsung has to pay to Apple will come out of their *operating profit*. For Q1-Q3 2012, Samsung reported an operating profit of $18.3 billion. Assume another $5 billion for Q4 (not yet announced) and their total 2012 profit comes to ~$23 billion. So a $1 billion payout to Apple would be about 4% of Samsung's total 2012 profit. No company wants to cough up 4% of its total profits to a competitor. It wouldn't bankrupt them, but it would hurt.

      To use your analogy, that would be the equivalent of somebody making $50k having to pony up $2k. Not enough to bankrupt, but certainly enough to sting.

    24. Re:Thank the ghods. by shentino · · Score: 0

      It works very well for preserving the wishes of the rich elite that can hire the lawyer's guild to squash peple they don't like.

      Sorry, you thought it was designed to achieve justice?

      Government has always been twisted to serve the elite.

    25. Re:Thank the ghods. by rwise2112 · · Score: 1

      It hasn't been awarded yet, and the judge gets the final say on the amount. Plus, I believe, some of the patents have been invalidated since the trial.

      --

      "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
    26. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm glad we have a judge with sense here. Banning the sale of the product will only hurt consumers and the economy, with no real benefit to either company.

      This patent bullshit is getting old and really needs some reform. :P

      May be you should write to your congressman/senator about this instead of just complaining online.

    27. Re:Thank the ghods. by Doctor_Jest · · Score: 1

      Yes, while that's true... it's still misconduct. Just because the jury found no infringement doesn't mean they can ignore evidence, though this is civil, so I suppose there's a bit more leeway.

      --
      It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
    28. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sigh, this again.

      The jury ignored prior art only for patents where they found no infringement. It there is no patent infringement, the 'prior art' argument is moot.

      Sigh, this again.

      A blatant lie by a fanboy gets modded informative

      Go read the transcripts, and the interviews of the lying foreman. Nowhere is said or written that there was no patent infirngement, in fact the ridiculous veridict is only because Hogan convinced the other members of the jury that there was patent infringement and that prior art didn't count.

      I know that the truth is the first victim of fanatism, but come on, this is so easy to check that I don't understand why even fanbois would vote you as anything else but a troll.

    29. Re:Thank the ghods. by jeffmeden · · Score: 1

      Samsung electronics had $148Bn in revenue last year. So let's just say you earned $50k last year; this is like losing a court case about how your work was supposedly derived totally on the designs of someone else, and you being ordered to pay $335 and being told you are OK to keep "doin' your thang".

      So the question is, how big of a deal is $335?

      Revenue isn't the important number. Any damages that Samsung has to pay to Apple will come out of their *operating profit*. For Q1-Q3 2012, Samsung reported an operating profit of $18.3 billion. Assume another $5 billion for Q4 (not yet announced) and their total 2012 profit comes to ~$23 billion. So a $1 billion payout to Apple would be about 4% of Samsung's total 2012 profit. No company wants to cough up 4% of its total profits to a competitor. It wouldn't bankrupt them, but it would hurt.

      To use your analogy, that would be the equivalent of somebody making $50k having to pony up $2k. Not enough to bankrupt, but certainly enough to sting.

      Bad analogy guy would even disagree with you there. My conversion to a base of $50k was to make it similar to the average US salary (this is gross revenue, not net, so the $335 was appropriate). But let's play it your way... Their electronics division had a net of $12Bn last year (nice and round since there are 12 months in a year). That means they were ordered to basically forego 1 month of profit. So if you think about how much money you blow on worthless things every month (like going to the movies, saving up for a vacation, etc) and you are asked to give that up as a one-time penalty for infringement, how damaging is that?

    30. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, go find some tech CEOs and ask them how they feel about giving up 1 month of profit and get back to us.

      My guess that you won't find any who are as nonchalant about the idea as you are. And Samsung will be no different. Because regardless of what percentage it is of their total profit, $1 billion is still real money.

    31. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very funny... the judge was right to deny Apple's application to ban Samsung's infringing products... and they were wrong to deny Samsung's application for a retrial.

      I am certain that had the decision gone the other way there would be an equal number of people protesting that the judge was wrong to grant Apple's application banning Samsung's infringing products and was right to grant Samsung a retrial.

      Sometimes it seems as if the only acceptable decision would have been one that denied Apple's application to ban Samsung's infringing products while granting Samsung a retrial.

      Personally, I think that this is the best decision... it maintains the juries verdict (that Samsung willfully infringed on Apple's intellectual property), pending an appeal of course, but by not banning Samsung's infringing products it forces Apple to license its intellectual property to its competitors (in much the same way that Samsung has to license its intellectual property on a FRAND basis) or risk having their intellectual property being declared essential to the implementation of multi-touch user interfaces (which which would drop them into the FRAND pit-hole)

    32. Re:Thank the ghods. by jeffmeden · · Score: 1

      Well, go find some tech CEOs and ask them how they feel about giving up 1 month of profit and get back to us.

      My guess that you won't find any who are as nonchalant about the idea as you are. And Samsung will be no different. Because regardless of what percentage it is of their total profit, $1 billion is still real money.

      The premise was that Steve Jobs' aforementioned "thermonuclear war" was essentially a loss from this court decision... And if you are really delusional enough to think that an 8% drop in operating profit is the equivalent of nuclear devastation, then so be it and have a nice day (no one in the business world would agree with you though, fyi.)

    33. Re:Thank the ghods. by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 0

      We already know how they feel about it. They raised prices on components they made for Apple. No biggie there Apple just paid off itself.

    34. Re:Thank the ghods. by Solandri · · Score: 1

      The jury ignored prior art only for patents where they found no infringement. It there is no patent infringement, the 'prior art' argument is moot.

      Except the $1 billion award is based on Samsung infringing the iPhone's design patent. The judge disallowed evidence of prior art to that patent because Samsung missed a filing deadline. Specifically, the pic shows internal Samsung prototypes before anyone outside of Apple had ever seen the iPhone.

    35. Re:Thank the ghods. by Cederic · · Score: 1

      the ridiculous veridict is only because Hogan convinced the other members of the jury that there was patent infringement and that prior art didn't count.

      Oh, come on. That's not entirely true.

      Hogan also convinced the jury that Samsung's patents didn't count because there _was_ prior art.

    36. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How can there be so many slashdotters who don't understand the difference between revenue and profit.

      You may make say $50k, but you certainly don't get to use $50k of it after you pay your bills, same way Samsung spends 130 billion of that to pay its bills.

    37. Re:Thank the ghods. by Drathos · · Score: 1

      And only a small piece of that $148B was from sales of smartphones. They do a hell of a lot of business elsewhere, be it TVs, Blu-Ray players, RAM/Flash chips, display panels, etc.

      You shouldn't be comparing the total revenue but that related specifically to the products involved.

      --
      End of line..
    38. Re:Thank the ghods. by Quila · · Score: 0

      I always considered the jury's decision inviolable, that you had to find something like a bribe or purposely hidden conflict of interest to overturn it No, this foreman's case doesn't fit that since he answered the questions truthfully as asked, and even said he worked for Seagate (being in a lawsuit was another question, limited to the last 10 years, and his fell outside that timeframe). The alternative is constant retrials, over and over, the one with the most money to pay the lawyers wins. The jury made its decision, so live with it.

      If you take this into criminal law, that means the government always wins. You see it's not double jeopardy because you weren't retried. The jury decision was thrown out and you are being tried for the first time again.

    39. Re:Thank the ghods. by Quila · · Score: 1

      I actually appreciate Jobs' sentiment there. It's nice to see that in this day money isn't the universal resolver of disputes. You can't just screw someone and say "Here's some cash, get over it." You have to actually stop screwing them.

    40. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why? Even the great Steve Jobs himself said, "good artists copy, great artists steal".

      The real problem with Jobs refusing to even consider payment for Apple's IP is that it can retard progress. It's good for Apple because they don't have to put as much work into coming up with improvements to their products to remain competitive, but is is bad for the rest of us because our smartphones won't be as good as they could be whichever manufacturer you buy from.

    41. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like a choad who doesn't have a clue. 8% is a huge hit to the bottom line. Any business owner who disagrees probably is the sole proprietor of a coffee shop somewhere. J.D. Rockefeller didn't get to be the biggest and best by thinking as you do. Neither did Samsung.

    42. Re:Thank the ghods. by jeffmeden · · Score: 1

      You must be trolling... the 8% has no magnified impact on the bottom line because it is already AT THE BOTTOM. Samsung's revenue just from the new S3 sales will more than make up for it, so they are sitting back thinking "hell if that's all it cost us to copy the iphone we should have done it 5 years ago!"

    43. Re:Thank the ghods. by Quila · · Score: 2

      Why? Even the great Steve Jobs himself said, "good artists copy, great artists steal".

      Out of context. Jobs was referring to the Picasso quote. The meaning is that good artists just copy what others do (Samsung). Great artists find forgotten inspirations and make something revolutionary from it.

      The iMac G4 was inspired by Luxo Jr. from Pixar, which in turn was inspired by the Luxo desk lamp Lasseter had on his desk. You can't say the iMac is a copy or a rip-off from the lamp, but you can see the unique inspiration that led to the creation of an entirely new piece of design work.

      The real problem with Jobs refusing to even consider payment for Apple's IP is that it can retard progress.

      I can agree with you there. But our scheme of copyright/patent is designed to give some period of exclusivity. Apple does put a lot of $$$ into those designs, and wants a payback.

      It's good for Apple because they don't have to put as much work into coming up with improvements to their products to remain competitive

      That might make sense if Apple hadn't invested billions into its mobile products. The original iPhone was a $150 million gamble. Since then they've bought a billion dollars worth of flash memory and semiconductor companies to improve the products (years later the work results in the custom A6 chip). Apple has invested billions more into manufacturing technologies. We're still waiting to see what that hugely expensive exclusive license with LiquidMetal will pay off with, since Apple has had metallurgists and fabrication specialists working on that one for a few years now.

      They're working as hard as, or harder than, anyone else.

    44. Re:Thank the ghods. by Xest · · Score: 1

      I don't think there's any suggestion it can't be appealed is there? simply that a retrial wont be ordered.

      I'm not surprised though, from what I was reading from other sources about this outside the tech community this wouldn't be unusual, apparently retrials based on jury misconduct are extremely rare in the US and the jury is allowed to get away with the sort of thing the guy in this case did. It's only if there was say evidence of outright corruption such as a bribed jury that a retrial would come into play in the US.

      An appeal is still Samsung's best bet as that would eliminate both Koh, and the bent jury from the equation altogether.

    45. Re:Thank the ghods. by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      Agreed. What the courts (not to mention the taxpayers) need is the ability to impose multi-billion dollar fines for wasting their time and resources. That might be an incentive to do something actually innovative for a change, rather than feeding parasitical lawyers.

    46. Re:Thank the ghods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple pretty clearly follows classic Braun designs:
          http://cdn-www.i-am-bored.com/media/braun-or-apple.png
      Braun's most famous designer of that era, Dieter Rams, actually likes Apple for their design work. But, when the shoe is on the other foot, Apple will go "thermonuclear" if you try anything vaguely like what they do.

      Also, you might want to check real numbers when you talk about how hard they are working. Apple has some of the highest profit margins and lowest R&D percentages in the industry. If you want to see something closer to a "hardest working" hardware company, look at places like Intel which for decades have had to sink much of its revenue into R&D so it could continue to lead its sector.

    47. Re:Thank the ghods. by Quila · · Score: 1

      Apple pretty clearly follows classic Braun designs:

      Inspirational as to general theme, not copy. One impressionist isn't necessarily copying another.

      Apple has some of the highest profit margins and lowest R&D percentages in the industry.

      As percentage is a BS metric since Apple has higher profit margins, R&D will look low, punished for success. Apple also doesn't do much pure research like IBM or Intel, instead directing most research into actual products. Apple also doesn't build foundries and have to R&D smaller processes (at least not yet), billions saved. While Apple now develops custom SOC, the architecture is still licensed, not developed. Different businesses, different R&D patterns.

    48. Re:Thank the ghods. by poetmatt · · Score: 1

      It hasn't even been treated as valid. There are many steps before that's a real $1B award, one of which is reality and facts which tend to stand in the way of "Enormous verdicts which don't reflect on reality".

      The fact that the jury awarded damages to devices they ruled were not infringing as well as damages on invalidated patents means that there's a guarantee that even if Samsung does have to pay apple as a hypothetical, it's not going to be $1B under any circumstances whatsoever.

  2. Why the register? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

    1. Re:Why the register? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

      No kidding.

      WTF is a "sammy mobe?"

      Does it come with fries?

    2. Re:Why the register? by SternisheFan · · Score: 0

      Here you go, grouchy can't google it myself AC's... http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413334,00.asp

    3. Re:Why the register? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

      No kidding.

      WTF is a "sammy mobe?"

      Does it come with fries?

      It get's evern better in TFA; "The Korean firm is no doubt quite chuffed that its mobes and fondleslabs can stay on sale in the US"

    4. Re:Why the register? by SternisheFan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      from the PCMag link above: "Among the considerations, "the Court further found that though there was some evidence of loss of market share, Apple had not established that Samsung's infringement of Apple's design patents caused that loss," Judge Koh said. On the damages front, Apple argued that $1.05 billion alone was not enough, but Judge Koh was not convinced. "Apple's licensing activity makes clear that these patents and trade dresses are not priceless, and there is no suggestion that Samsung will be unable to pay the monetary judgment against it," she wrote. "Accordingly, the Court finds that this factor favors Samsung." http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413334,00.asp

    5. Re:Why the register? by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      Because no other website gets such a raging hard-on over mentioning apple on their front page.

    6. Re:Why the register? by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

      It get is evern better in TFA

      I love the smell of ironic aliteracy in the morning!

    7. Re:Why the register? by jeffmeden · · Score: 0

      I think that "fondleslab" (ipad) and jesusphone (iphone) are excellent sobriquets for those devices given the worship and adoration your average iSheep's (apple user) view of those devices.

      And here I was thinking that "fondleslab" was the best new word I would learn today, and you go and throw "sobriquet" out there...

    8. Re:Why the register? by miroku000 · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

      Because we all know British people can't speak proper English like Americans?

    9. Re:Why the register? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think that "fondleslab" (ipad) and jesusphone (iphone) are excellent sobriquets for those devices given the worship and adoration your average iSheep's (apple user) view of those devices.

      Opposed to "Samsung Copyly"?

    10. Re:Why the register? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

      Couldn't you find a source that doesn't sound like it was written by a 14 year old British girl?

      It get is evern better in TFA

      I love the smell of ironic aliteracy in the morning!

      You forgot to highlight "evern" too. Not sure I would consider typos as quite the same form of "aliteracy[sic]" as an author who intentionally uses "the fruit firm", "Sammy", "mobe", etc.

    11. Re:Why the register? by mcgrew · · Score: 1
  3. Apple must be wondering... by bogaboga · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... whether all this was worth it.

    I mean, Apple executives will be asking themselves whether the publicity given to Samsung, is worth the time/cash spent on the trial.

    I personally doubt that it was worth it.

    1. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I mean, Apple executives will be asking themselves whether the publicity given to Samsung, is worth the time/cash spent on the trial.

      You assume that they work on something more than just gut feeling.

      They are probably thinking that this was a bad luck and have already moved on.

    2. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Smokin hot seems to be a variable.

    3. Re:Apple must be wondering... by dotancohen · · Score: 5, Informative

      On a more important note, the judge is smokin hot:
      http://www.cultofmac.com/185127/u-s-district-judge-lucy-koh-apples-lawyers-are-smoking-crack-in-samsung-case/

      You need to get out more.

      --
      It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
    4. Re:Apple must be wondering... by venicebeach · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps they will factor in the one billion dollars they won.

    5. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... whether all this was worth it.

      I mean, Apple executives will be asking themselves whether the publicity given to Samsung, is worth the time/cash spent on the trial.

      I personally doubt that it was worth it.

      While Apple's attorneys' fees amount to a small fortune, I seriously doubt that number even approached $1B. Even with $120B in cash, I personally believe Apple will see the at least $700M (a guess at what's left after paying lawyers) is not nothing.

    6. Re:Apple must be wondering... by gutnor · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Apparently the publicity works both ways, so much that the judge in the UK requested Apple to put the disclaimer on their home page. (reasoning was that the publicity of Apple victories in other countries of the world was impacting negatively the judgement in favor of Samsung)

      The real confirmed loser here is the rest of the Android makers. In small mobile shop, 3/4 of the shelves are filled with Samsung models, I don't remember having seen a brand so dominating the shelve space before. IMO that is not good for Android to have only Samsung and Amazon as steward, but I have been told that's ok because the Galaxy S3 is a great phone :-/

    7. Re:Apple must be wondering... by erroneus · · Score: 1

      No. She is female and asian. For some that means smokin hot. But when you place her within the spectrum of asian woman? She scores rather low.

      http://www.macworld.com.au/news/apple-vs-samsung-patent-trial-judge-wants-court-to-stay-awake-69231/

      She is a 4 at best.

    8. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. She is female and asian. For some that means smokin hot. But when you place her within the spectrum of asian woman? She scores rather low.

      http://www.macworld.com.au/news/apple-vs-samsung-patent-trial-judge-wants-court-to-stay-awake-69231/

      She is a 4 at best.

      You should read this.

    9. Re:Apple must be wondering... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      They are unlikely to ever see a penny of it. Samsung will endlessly appeal, and even if they somehow lose all of them Apple is facing patent infringement lawsuits itself and is likely to end up owing Samsung and several other companies money.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    10. Re:Apple must be wondering... by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      The real confirmed loser here is the rest of the Android makers. In small mobile shop, 3/4 of the shelves are filled with Samsung models, I don't remember having seen a brand so dominating the shelve space before. IMO that is not good for Android to have only Samsung and Amazon as steward, but I have been told that's ok because the Galaxy S3 is a great phone :-/

      That's not at all the case in Asia (namely, China, Thailand and India) - there the small and non-name brands are selling a ton of Android gear. What you describe is the situation in the USA and some European countries, but China, India and Thailand are gigantic markets.

      Besides, the single most popular Android tablet, the Nexus 7, is made by Asus. And the Nexus 4 (LG) is selling like hotcakes laced with cannabis.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    11. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    12. Re:Apple must be wondering... by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Must be a lot of hot people in your world - well done you. ;)

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  4. Denied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Should have sued in East Texas. Both of them. Each other. That way both of them would have won: Apple their injunction and billion dollars, Samsung their injunction rejection and erasure of the billion dollars. Both happy :) Hang on...

  5. English please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Sammy mobes? seriously?

  6. Samsung drops Apple injunctions in Europe by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1
    1. Re:Samsung drops Apple injunctions in Europe by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      In other words they felt they were going to lose.

  7. Apple is evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And if you buy their products, you support evil.

    1. Re:Apple is evil by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      You're sure about that? The various holdings of the Rothschild clan seems pretty frigging evil to me. The Taliban can't start and end world wide recessions and depressions, after all. The Rothschild clan can, and has.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  8. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by erroneus · · Score: 2

    The stock price has dipped according to Google's report when searching "AAPL" however I don't think it's an amount worthy of panic just yet. However the dip would seem to coincide with the news.

    I hope every sane person will realize that both Apple and Samsung will appeal the rulings. And I agree with the concensus that the just was simply tired of dealing with both parties and the mess that this case had become.

    The more interesting rulings over Apple's design patents, though, I hope remain. The matter of jury misconduct, I hope fails. Even if Samsung "should have known" in advance is irrelevant to the matter at hand. The juror did not properly answer the screening questions and thus had violated any oaths and qualifications for being a jurist. Further, the jurist provided his own evidence and became a biased party in the case. In my view, jury misconduct is clear and obvious.

  9. Re:Thank the gods. by mk1004 · · Score: 2

    I agree with Judge Koh that the limited infringement doesn't warrant banning Samsung's products. OTOH, Both parties were time constrained, and Samsung didn't get some evidence of prior art submitted, and of course they weren't able to make detailed checks of the jurors. That seems unfair, particularly when the Juror in question seemed to pretty much be boasting about how he manipulated the other jurors.

    --
    I can mend the break of day, heal a broken heart, and provide temporary relief to nymphomaniacs.
  10. Re:Thank the gods. by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I agree with Judge Koh that the limited infringement doesn't warrant banning Samsung's products. OTOH, Both parties were time constrained, and Samsung didn't get some evidence of prior art submitted, and of course they weren't able to make detailed checks of the jurors. That seems unfair, particularly when the Juror in question seemed to pretty much be boasting about how he manipulated the other jurors.

    Samsung and Apple had the same deadlines for submitting evidence. Laziness isn't an excuse to change a verdict.

  11. Slashdot objectivity. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On most sites, the subject of this topic is reversed: "Judge says no to retrial, but also says no to ban"

    You really think the potential reversal of a $1B penalty is somehow lesser to getting a ban with all bark and not bite approved?

    Wake up slashdot, you're losing what little objectivity you had,

    1. Re:Slashdot objectivity. by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Oddly, yes.

      Mainly because the $1Bn penalty is completely fucking irrelevant until the Appeal court has had its say. Whereas an all-encompassing injunction would've been pretty harsh.

  12. fuck this by Redmancometh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I just read the words "sammy mobes" on slashdot...fuck..you...brain...hurts

    1. Re:fuck this by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sounds like a character from The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins and Sammy Mobes set out on an adventure.

  13. Re:Thank the gods. by somersault · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Samsung and Apple had the same deadlines for submitting evidence.

    Why do you think that makes things even? The prosecution could take years to prepare a case before submission if they want to. They have all the time in the world. So the defending side obviously will always have less time.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  14. the fruity submitter ate a turd and liked it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The fruity firm wanted a California court to stop sales of the Sammy mobes and tablets in the US,

    fuck you, moron

    1. Re:the fruity submitter ate a turd and liked it by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Laugh. Welcome to the British view of this shit.

      El Reg does dumb down its headlines, but the content is more ironic than moronic. (Well, except one specific journalist).

      If it helps any, look up their use of "Chocolate factory". Shit, just scroll up on Slashdot for their references to fondleslabs.

      Just because you aren't used to these terms doesn't invalidate them.

    2. Re:the fruity submitter ate a turd and liked it by SternisheFan · · Score: 1

      The "fruity submitter's" wife would like me to inform you that, quote, "He's all the man I need." :-)

  15. Incorrect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The judge refused Samsung's response to a NEW Apple claim against them, despite this being within time.

    Such evidence being for one of the claims that the jury WERE considering infringement.

    PS how can they ignore prior art for "non infringement" unless they looked at evidence for the application of the patent (i.e. scoping prior art)?

  16. A pretty good job by jbolden · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think the judge here has handled this rather well. With the exception of the handling of the F700 evidence, I think the entire case was handled rather well. There were major breakthroughs on patent issues where MeeGo (now Sailfish), Windows 8, and BBOS (9 and 10). Many of the specific patent issues were ruled on.

    Taking these bans off the table is a very good thing. While I think Samsung most certainly engaged in patent violations and deserve the penalty, they aren't a criminal enterprise, they are going to pay reasonable fines and comply with the law.

    1. Re:A pretty good job by erroneus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think you didn't understand the judge's rulings on the issue of design patents. They were all essentially ruled invalid. This, of course, will be appealed by Apple. But the judge's remarks on the matter make plain sense. The design elements essentially lack "design." Sure, the design of Apple's devices capitalize on simple, clean appearance and construction, but the other side of that approach is that it moves in the direction of "functional design" which is not patentable.

      And because so much of Apple's case has been called into question (to put it mildly) the awards in the case will have to be reassessed. And given that the methods of calculation for the damage awards were so... well, "weird" and inconsistent, there will be no effective means to update the damages award to match the updated infringement rulings. This will then require a new trial.

    2. Re:A pretty good job by CaptBubba · · Score: 1

      That brings forth a real interesting legal question. Design patents protect ornamental design, but how does that relate to design which is characterized by a lack of ornamentation? If you include an inlay in a bezel around a screen that is clearly an ornamental design, but is a design which specifically includes no inlay also ornamental in nature and deserving of protection? What if that piece provides a function, but the function is not dependent upon the lack of ornamentation (an inlaid bezel works just as well as a plain one for providing gripping space and room for electrical connections around a screen).

      I'm pretty sure the answer is "no" but it would be interesting to see an actual ruling on these issues.

    3. Re:A pretty good job by jbolden · · Score: 1

      No I don't follow.

      Take bounce back. Clearly Samsung implemented bounce back, clearly the jury found the Samsung mechanism was closely enough to Apple's to violate the patents. How does this not get upheld?

      Look and feel issues like home button, rounded corners, tapered edges... that is making a product that appears to similar to another competing product. That sort of thing gets enforced all the time. Fake watches, fake coats, fake purses, There is nothing unusual there.

      etc...

    4. Re:A pretty good job by erroneus · · Score: 1

      That is what I was driving at. A design patent is essentially a copyright as far as I can tell. I know, they aren't the same, but still. We're talking about a design, in this case, which is essentially the most elementary implementation and application of the materials used to construct the thing. Glass is most often flat. How can that be part of a design patent? The shape is rectangular and necessarily has rounded corners of no specific design. However, rounded corners serves the function of durability, comfort and perhaps even safety. Hard to imagine that being patented anywhere, let along "...on a handheld mobile device." And black in color? Sorry, but whoever the patent examiner was on that patent needs to be examined.

      Patents must be non-obvious. Ultra-simple designs would seem to fit neatly within that failure.

    5. Re:A pretty good job by miroku000 · · Score: 1

      No I don't follow.

      Take bounce back. Clearly Samsung implemented bounce back, clearly the jury found the Samsung mechanism was closely enough to Apple's to violate the patents. How does this not get upheld?

      Look and feel issues like home button, rounded corners, tapered edges... that is making a product that appears to similar to another competing product. That sort of thing gets enforced all the time. Fake watches, fake coats, fake purses, There is nothing unusual there.

      etc...

      No. You are free to copy the *exact* design for a coat except for a trademarked logo. If you want to compare fashion to this case, it would mean that Samsung would be allowed to copy everything about the i* design except the Apple Logo. Watch this video for details on how the fashion industry has no copyright protection at all: http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_lessons_from_fashion_s_free_culture.html

    6. Re:A pretty good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This isn't a pair of fake nikes

      This is more like a pair of sketchers being infringement because they both have treads

    7. Re:A pretty good job by erroneus · · Score: 1

      The software patent on bounce-back was ruled invalid in other courts. It will likely fail in any appeals.

      The design patents were argued down by the judge in her commentary regarding the non-specific language describing the patent.

    8. Re:A pretty good job by jbolden · · Score: 1

      That was Samsung's case. It was tried in multiple courts and found to be false.

    9. Re:A pretty good job by jbolden · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure I agree. Your argument is that the jury ruled wrongly. If the judge had felt that there Apple had failed to make their case she shouldn't have let it go to the jury. This strikes me as a rather subjective matter of fact, exactly what an appeals court is likely to defer to the jury. But I guess we shall see.

    10. Re:A pretty good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're forgetting the Sony design evidence clearly showing Apple stole the complete form factor and icon design from Sony, even including the Sony logo in their design plans. That alone should have had the case thrown out, or at least have Sony demanding $100bn from Apple.

    11. Re:A pretty good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're forgetting the Sony design evidence clearly showing Apple stole the complete form factor and icon design from Sony, even including the Sony logo in their design plans. That alone should have had the case thrown out, or at least have Sony demanding $100bn from Apple.

      You are an idiot (or a troll, but I repeat myself).

      The "Jony" design didn't have any icons. It was just a physical mockup. Nor was it a serious "design plan". It was a recreational exercise by an Apple designer, riffing on their own design proposals by imagining "what might this product look like if Sony built it instead of us". It featured Sony design elements which have never appeared in iPhones, and obviously never were intended to appear in them. (The whimsical "Jony" logo, a very prominent and distinctively-Sony jog wheel, and more.)

      The only iPhone design which looks similar to the "Jony" design study in any way is the iPhone 4/4S. The main point of similarity, the glass sandwich / steel band construction, was not one of the Sony-isms in the "Jony" design.

    12. Re:A pretty good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    13. Re:A pretty good job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't think that you, George Bastida, understand blackmail's illegal http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3324585&threshold=-1&commentsort=0&mode=thread&pid=42328081

  17. Re:Thank the gods. by jbolden · · Score: 1

    Apple needed evidence from Samsung, the discovery process. Some of this evidence Samsung destroyed and some of which Samsung handed over late. Apple can make allegations but the actual proof of the process of how Samsung developed their ideas was not something Apple had prior to the case.

  18. Re:Thank the gods. by shentino · · Score: 1

    No, but being shorted on time is.

    My opinion is that Samsung's failure to make a "timely" objection is due entirely to the acceleration of burden that the judge's restrictive schedule placed on them, and not due to lack of diligence.

    Hogan also made it difficult by deliberately hiding information during voir dire.

  19. Re:Thank the gods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NO patent infringement warrants a product ban. The whole point of patents is to allow others to create products using an invention while rewarding the inventor. It is NOT there to give the inventor exclusive rights to the invention. The only recourse for patent infringement should be monetary payments, and if you don't like it then don't patent your invention, keep it a trade secret.

  20. Will it really be $1bn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not sure about the US legal system in this regard, but is the $1.05bn figure (arrived at by the Jury) now a fixed "fine" or is it just a figure used by the judge to decide what penalty to impose?
    Kinda like the jury gives the Judge a guideline, but she is the one that finally decides what the judgement and amount will be.

  21. Re:Thank the gods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a laughably stupid statement. The purpose of patents is most certainly NOT to allow others to create products, it is to encourage invention and the release of information. The exact phrase is: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

    Seems to me 'exclusive rights' are exactly what the patent law is there to provide.

  22. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In my view

    yeah... but... see... your opinion doesn't matter and is likely wildly inaccurate only because you don't know what you're talking about... you don't have the faintest idea of what jury misconduct is and I'm not sure why you think you do... because you have not studied law and passed the bar... because you only have a simplistic and pedestrian understanding of patents and the law. See... um... the judge? She went to law school, and has law experience. She was given authority by the United States Congress to do her job. She's no slouch. You, OTOH, not only have no understanding nor expertise in the matter, you also have no authority mandated by Congress.

  23. Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love it when businesses use taxpayer money to increase a CEO's profits at no benefit to the consumer or employees whatsoever.

  24. Jury in a civil case? by loufoque · · Score: 1

    Why do the US even have a jury in civil cases?

    1. Re:Jury in a civil case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a right guaranteed in our Constitution.

      Largely it's a form of legal sniff test: "Can you present your case well enough that 12 random people off the street think the defendant is guilty? If not, no conviction."

      In low profile cases (traffic violations, small claims civil matters, etc.) the right is often waived because the defendant doesn't want to bother with the extra hassle, but it is still something the defendant can demand if they so choose.

    2. Re:Jury in a civil case? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do the US even have a jury in civil cases?

      Because it is in the constitution.

      Amendment VII: In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

      Historically, trial by jury was seen as a way to limit the power of the government.

  25. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Worst troll ever.

  26. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by erroneus · · Score: 1

    Yeah... I know... the style of writing is pretty identifiable even if it isn't littered with bold headings and a thousand links. The troll is Already Proven Krazy and is best left ignored.

  27. Re:fed law disallowed any consideration of errors by TaoPhoenix · · Score: 2

    "Judge Koh ruled that no matter how many errors the jury engaged in during jury deliberations federal law disallowed any consideration of these errors to overturn the jury verdict or order a new trial."

    Isn't that the loophole of the century? The way to play Jury 2.0? Sneak a biased member onto the jury who says them, and then jury errors don't matter?!

    --
    My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
  28. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

    The stock price has dipped according to Google's report when searching "AAPL" however I don't think it's an amount worthy of panic just yet. However the dip would seem to coincide with the news.

    Apple's stock has been in free fall for the last couple of months.
    They're down to $532 from a September peak of $705.

    That's a 25% drop in stock valuation and has nothing to do with the trial.

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  29. TED talk wowed audience before Apple patent? by jeffbuhrt · · Score: 1

    Did Jeff Han's 2006 TED talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKh1Rv0PlOQ inspire the patents? http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20073461-264/apples-new-multitouch-patent-faq/ implies the TED talk was shown in court, but then ignored.

  30. Re:Thank the gods. by fangorious · · Score: 1

    What a laughably stupid statement. The purpose of patents is most certainly NOT to allow others to create products, it is to encourage invention and the release of information.

    The purpose is to ensure that inventions and works of art are shared, to improve all of society.

    The exact phrase is: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

    Seems to me 'exclusive rights' are exactly what the patent law is there to provide.

    See how that starts? "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts." That's the purpose, promoting progress. The second half, the half that you're focusing on, is how patents accomplish that purpose. By offering a limited time exclusive right. The problem is the limited time is currently 14 years for utility patents and 20 years for design patents. That's several generations of obsolescence in mobile tech. That doesn't promote progress. It promotes a stagnated market with no consumer choice whatsoever. We have an alternative form of intellectual property protection that lets the holder hoard it in private forever. It's called Trade Secret. It would be more in line with the stated purpose of patents to simply require all patent holders to license their patents under FRAND rules.

  31. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hi, thanks for posting. I'm sure erroneus is as aware as anyone else that has ever read any of his posts that although he often speaks knowledgeably and condescendingly about subjects he has no knowledge of, he really never has any idea of what he's talking about. It's a good bet that he's a teenager, so please cut him some slack.

  32. Re:Thank the gods. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 0

    No, but being shorted on time is.

    My opinion is that Samsung's failure to make a "timely" objection is due entirely to the acceleration of burden that the judge's restrictive schedule placed on them, and not due to lack of diligence.

    Hogan also made it difficult by deliberately hiding information during voir dire.

    Let's pretend Samsung didn't have months to present that evidence - then they still had time enough to present that specific piece of evidence in time. Because it was the only device they made themselves.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  33. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by erroneus · · Score: 1

    Point taken. I didn't look back that far on the graph. I did also see links to stories talking about the value dropping below $500 for the first time in a long time or something like that. Perhaps a 25% drop *is* something to be concerned about. If I were a shareholder, I think I would be upset.

  34. Unbiased by Ossifer · · Score: 1

    I know a lot, if not most posters here are very biased in favor of one company or the other. However in today's ruling, both companies were swinging for the fences, hoping to get lucky, and were rightfully slapped down:

    Samsung attacking a juror despite having had ample knowledge and ability to discover potential bias, in order to get the whole thing thrown out and to roll the dice again.

    Apple claiming irreparable harm in allowing the infringing devices, in order to get an import/sales ban. This is equally silly, as the features included are not exactly preventing Apple from selling its product, or similar extreme situation...

    1. Re:Unbiased by Quila · · Score: 0

      The iPhone was #1 when the suit was filed, the newest generation is still #1 despite any infringement. Given that, how could Apple possibly claim irreparable harm from runners-up?

      Attacking the juror was just pathetic since they can't show one falsehood stated by him in voir dire. The time for a peremptory challenge is before the trial, not after.

    2. Re:Unbiased by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 1

      Attacking the juror was just pathetic

      Despite the juror's admission to the press that he failed to follow jury instructions, claiming that the damages award was meant as punishment when the instructions said no such thing?

      Despite the juror's admission to the press that he acted as an expert witness during deliberations, falsely telling the other jurors that prior art which runs on a different processor does not invalidate a patent?

      How exactly should one discover during Voir Dire that a juror will do things like not follow the jury instructions and act as an expert witness during deliberations?

      --
      :(){ :|:& };:
  35. Re:Thank the gods. by bws111 · · Score: 1

    I am confused. How can 20 years be 'several generations of obsolescence' at the same time '[patents] promote a stagnated market'? How are these 'several generations' occurring when patents have so severely crippled innovation (if the standard slashdot line is to be believed)?

    The fact is, progress is occurring at an incredibly fast rate, so clearly all these patents have not stopped progress.

  36. Re:Thank the gods. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

    See how that starts? "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts." That's the purpose, promoting progress.

    Ahh, so it should be allowing copying, because as we all know nothing says "progress" more clearly than everybody doing the exact same thing over and over again.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  37. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't get how this works, do you?

  38. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

    The stock price has dipped according to Google's report when searching "AAPL" however I don't think it's an amount worthy of panic just yet. However the dip would seem to coincide with the news.

    Apple's stock has been in free fall for the last couple of months.
    They're down to $532 from a September peak of $705.

    That's a 25% drop in stock valuation and has nothing to do with the trial.

    Yeah, but it's also a 35% rise over a year.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  39. Samsung can't lose. by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 0

    Even if Samsung loses the billion, as had been pointed out, they will make it back on raising prices to Apple, some of which they have already done.

    However if a lot of the judgement goes away, as I suspect it will, Samsung will get to keep the extra billion. Looks to me like Samsung can't lose and Apple has royally shot itself in the arse.

  40. Re:Samsung No. 1 phone maker by SternisheFan · · Score: 1
    PcMag report: Samsung, maker of the uber popular Galaxy S III smartphone, has overtaken Nokia for the first time in 14 years to become the top phone maker of 2012, according to new data from IHS iSuppli. Samsung is expected to account for 29 percent of worldwide cell phone shipments, up from 21 percent in 2011, when it nabbed the No. 2 spot in the market. Meanwhile, Nokia's share this year will drop from 30 percent to 24 percent this year. Nokia had held the top spot in the mobile phone market since 1998.

    Thanks to its winning strategy, Samsung is projected to again take the No. 1 spot in the smartphone market this year, after beating out Apple by just one percentage point of market share in 2011, according to IHS iSuppli. This year, Samsung will widen its lead, accounting for 28 percent of global smartphone shipments, compared to Apple's 20 percent. "Samsung made significant gains in both the high end as well as the low-cost market with its Galaxy line of smartphones," IHS iSuppli said. "This diversified market approach has allowed Samsung to address a larger target audience for its phones than Apple's limited premium iPhone line." http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413347,00.asp

  41. Re:Thank the gods. by Cederic · · Score: 0

    Some of this evidence Samsung destroyed

    Oh? I hadn't heard about that. Which evidence was this?

    Note: Before you even fucking mention emails, compare the dates from which Samsung's emails are available and from which Apple's emails are available.

  42. Re:fed law disallowed any consideration of errors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IANAL, but I think if someone managed to sneak a biased person onto a Jury to influence the outcome that would probably be jury tampering, whatever it is classed as I'm sure it would be illegal and lead to a retrial.

    Rather than a loophole, it is more like a lottery, where if a biased person gets past jury selection and onto the jury nothing can be done if their biases lead them to make the wrong decision.

  43. Re:Thank the gods. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am confused. How can 20 years be 'several generations of obsolescence' at the same time '[patents] promote a stagnated market'? How are these 'several generations' occurring when patents have so severely crippled innovation (if the standard slashdot line is to be believed)?

    Got an idea for a new and fashionable product? Go try and develop it and put it out on the market. Then just wait. Soon enough, your confusion will be abated.

  44. Re:fed law disallowed any consideration of errors by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    It's the case in many countries, including the UK. The jury making a mistake is not grounds for an appeal or retrial unless some rule was broken. If you get a bunch of idiots who are easily lead by one member of the group then bad luck.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  45. Re:fed law disallowed any consideration of errors by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    How do you sneak a biased juror past the process? Either side can ask questions of potential jurors, and answering them falsely is perjury. Perjury is very likely a valid reason for a retrial, and the judge apparently didn't find that it happened. Either side can ask that a juror be removed for cause. I don't know how it is everywhere, but in my limited experience as a candidate juror each side could, at the end, name two jurors they just didn't want.

    In other words, Samsung's lawyers have nobody to blame but themselves for letting this guy on the jury. What he'd already said should have been a flag that he might be biased, and it's Samsung's lawyers' job to find out.

    If either party here qualified as a "little guy", I'd have a lot of sympathy for the one who couldn't afford to lawyer up properly. However, we're talking about two huge corporations, who have the money to hire excellent lawyers, and who should know how to handle lawsuits.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  46. Well, it's a good thing you're wrong, then. by sgtrock · · Score: 1

    As has been discussed pretty thoroughly at Groklaw, there are ways to overturn a jury verdict. One of the ways is to prove juror misconduct. The question at hand is whether the jury foreman is/was guilty of that or not. When you take all of the evidence into account (including, btw, that there was no such thing as a 10 year limit during the jury selection), I think it's pretty clear that this juror had an axe to grind and failed in his duty.

    Don't believe me? How about the official record?

  47. Re:Samsung No. 1 phone maker by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

    What does that have to do with my post? And why doesn't PC Mag tell what is setting apart Samsung from other Android manufacturers that make it sell more than all others combined? Hint: the verdict gives the answer.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  48. Re:Thank the gods. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

    No, but being shorted on time is.

    My opinion is that Samsung's failure to make a "timely" objection is due entirely to the acceleration of burden that the judge's restrictive schedule placed on them, and not due to lack of diligence.

    Hogan also made it difficult by deliberately hiding information during voir dire.

    Let's pretend Samsung didn't have months to present that evidence - then they still had time enough to present that specific piece of evidence in time. Because it was the only device they made themselves.

    Looks like a mod can't handle facts.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  49. Re:Thank the gods. by fangorious · · Score: 1

    If nobody can develop their improvements to your invention because you're just hoarding your patents, that's a stagnated market. Mobile devices have lots and lots of different technologies in them. HTC had to remove the features in their web browser because of a patent on touching a phone number opening a dialer. So in 14 years (utility patent) can restore that feature. At the rate of current development in other areas like real time natural language speech processing, feature-rich touch input processing will be taken for granted like a scrolling with a mouse. So the longevity of that one patent is going to stagnate touch-screen browser development on mobile devices.

  50. Re:Thank the gods. by fangorious · · Score: 1

    Most patents are incremental improvements to existing inventions[1][2][3]. But the patent-holder has to license the original patent for you to build your idea on top of it. [1] http://inventors.about.com/od/inventing101patents/f/can_be_patented.htm [2] http://www.fr.com/Patent-Math--Making-Sure-Your-Strategies-Add-Up-05-31-2010/ [3] http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2012/09/do-patent-and-copyright-law-restrict-competition-and-creativity-excessively-posner.html

  51. Re:Thank the gods. by fangorious · · Score: 1

    Also this

  52. Re:fed law disallowed any consideration of errors by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 1

    And what question should one ask during Voir Dire to determine whether Velvin Hogan would act as an expert witness during deliberations, telling jurors (falsely) that if prior art doesn't run on the same processor it can't be prior art?

    Hogan screwed the pooch during deliberations and consequently the verdict is a farce.

    --
    :(){ :|:& };:
  53. Re:AAPL HAS CRASHED !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Better than attempting blackmail of others pussy http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2261720&cid=36545928 and libeling them right before that only to have your lies thrown back into your pussy face.

  54. George Bastida the blackmailer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2261720&cid=36545928

  55. erroneus/johnbwilcox you're proven obese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    erroneus/john b wilcox you're one ugly fat fuck http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3345911&cid=42414637 lose weight ya pig. Layoff the pizza!