Google countersues Sonos, citing patent infringement

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Google fights back against Sonos and countersues the company for patent infringement. The tech giant claims Sonos is infringing five Google patents that involve mesh networking, echo cancellation, DRM, content notifications, and personalized search. Sonos initially filed a patent lawsuit against Google in January. This ongoing row has already resorted to a US International Trade Commission investigation.

The Verge says the lawsuit serves a couple of purposes: one is to countersue Sonos, and another is for the tech giant to show that it feels aggrieved after assisting Sonos with its product development.

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Apple and Qualcomm announce surprise settlement

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In an unexpected move, Apple and Qualcomm have reached a settlement and agreed to drop all ongoing lawsuits, which have spanned the globe and started at least a couple years back. Apple will also pay Qualcomm an undisclosed amount and the two have reached a six-year global patent licensing deal that extends for another two years. Qualcomm will also supply parts to Apple for multiple years, which as The Verge suggests could mean we'll see Qualcomm modems in the iPhone again. 

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Facebook files suit against BlackBerry over voice messaging tech patent infringement

Looks like there’s no love lost between Facebook and BlackBerry. Months after BlackBerry filed a lawsuit against the social network claiming it stole key technology related to mobile messaging that have “made BlackBerry’s products such a critical and commercial success in the first place,” Facebook seems to be returning the favour. Facebook claims BlackBerry has infringed on six of its patents related to a voice messaging feature in BBM Enterprise. It claims BlackBerry violated its patents in the way mobile devices deliver images and audio as well as with patents related to GPS data management and security. The social network filed the suit in San Francisco federal court and is seeking unspecified damages.

Source: Engadget

BlackBerry accuses Facebook of infringement over its messaging patents

CNN

BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit in California against Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram for what it says is infringement of its messaging patents. The company says the social media company has “co-opted” its patented innovations related to security, user interface, and battery life. But Facebook brushes off the suit claiming it’s just a desperate move from the beleaguered company. "Blackberry's suit sadly reflects the current state of its messaging business," Paul Grewal, Facebook's deputy general counsel, said in a statement. "Having abandoned its efforts to innovate, BlackBerry is now looking to tax the innovation of others. We intend to fight."

The patents cited in the lawsuit describe the key elements of modern day messaging including those that deal with notifications for the total number of unread messages, photo tagging, and messaging time stamps. It hasn’t been cited how much BlackBerry is asking in terms of damages. But it seems seeking money from the patents isn’t the only motivation, the company seems to want to partner with Facebook. "As a cybersecurity and embedded software leader, BlackBerry's view is that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could make great partners in our drive toward a securely connected future," BlackBerry’s spokesperson said in the statement. "We continue to hold this door open to them."

Source: CNN