iPhone 4S antenna might tread on Samsung patents
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Fri October 7, 2011
Profs believe iPhone 4S antenna violates patents
While the new antenna in the iPhone 4S should eliminate antenna issues suffered with the original handset, it may violate patents. Danish professor Gert Frølund Pedersen, who spoke to ComON along with colleagues at Aalborg University believe Apple could face a legal battle from Samsung as a further counter to Apple's original suits.
The professors sold these patents to Samsung in 2007, and these haven't yet been used in litigation with Apple. The patents cover tech that switch between multiple antennae and Apple may infringe on two of them, which relate to how and using which apparatus the phone will switch antennas.
Pedersen believed Apple may have included the method that chooses the antenna based on whether the device is in portrait or landscape mode. He added that the technology isn't innovative, as Apple claims, but that it has been in use for very long in DECT cordless phones.
Samsung is already seeking an injunction to ban Apple from selling the iPhone 4S in Europe, though this is based on using WCDMA standards for 3G without a licensing agreement. [via 9to5mac]
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Joined: Sep 2000
Derp
"He added that the technology isn't innovative, as Apple claims, but that it has been in use for very long in DECT cordless phones"
So they filed a patent, which they sold to Samsung, for a technology that "has been in use for very long"?
Oh yeah.... this will stand up in court, I'm sure.