Apple's new Samsung lawsuit targets Siri-like search, more
updated 01:40 pm EST, Sat February 11, 2012
Apple lawsuit vs Samsung expanded
An expansion upon what few details have been available from Apple's new Samsung lawsuit has suggested that it reaches more at the core of Android and less at Samsung's specific actions. Along with accusing Samsung of violating a newer unlock gesture patent than what was covered in Germany, a second patent for a "universal interface" for retrieving data appeared to Florian Mueller to accuse Samsung of violating Siri-style searches, where stitching together keywords presents just the immediately needed results. While Android on a base level doesn't do this, it would prevent Google from providing a narrower search method in Android.
Third and fourth patents are more familiar and include a patent for performing actions on data that has been used with success against HTC at the ITC as well as the word suggestion mentioned at first. The full description appears to be as relevant to Google's own mobile search as to text correction.
If successful in getting preliminary and possibly permanent bans on Samsung's use of the patents, the lawsuit could have a ripple effect on Android as a whole. Apple's newly granted patents, three out of four of which were only granted within the past few months, could affect not just newer devices like the Galaxy Nexus but certain parts of stock Android 4.0 and later. Google has often kept Android sparing, partly to avoid patent issues, and may have changed the gesture unlocks in Android 3.0 and 4.0 precisely to avoid this kind of situation. Should the new lawsuit hold up, it could force early changes as well as a rethinking of any future efforts.
Among the possibly affected solutions is the rumored Majel voice engine for Android, which could do at least some of what Siri does through natural language search. Samsung, Motorola, and others may not have significant counters, since few if any have directly relevant patents and so far have been countersuing using standards-based patents that could see their claims tossed.
TAGS :
iPhone, industry, Google, htc, Android, Samsung, lawsuits, ITC, mobile phones, Apple, Siri, Galaxy Nexus, Majel
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Joined: Feb 2012
Now the rubber meets the road....
This is where Apple and its user interface puts distance on Android's copy-cat intrusion on Apple's patented "stuff". More and more new patents in the works will force Android to fall further and further behind.... Microsoft, at the same time, is moving smartly and steady from the rear with their own tiled ideas/interface, knowing that to copy Apple would would be self defeating eventually. Google is a short here (already topping out on the charts. Moto Mobility acquisition will prove to be the biggest dud since Warner bought AOL. Buying technology that is very old (mostly already contributed to patent pool or FRAND licensing terms) and not geared to the touch user interface. Apple is not going to share its technology with Google..... ever, you can count on that Mr Schmidt...because Steve Jobs said it on his death bed. "We don't want your money, we just want you to stop stealing our technology".