07.13.13
Posted in Apple, Patents at 11:30 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
But not a tyrant, not even with executive orders
Summary: Apple products are poised to get banned after Apple started suing several Android-backing companies, but the President can veto the decision despite knowing nothing about this case
The FRAND boosters keep track of ITC intervention in an Android case. “The document,” say the boosters, “includes both the Commission’s determination of a violation of Section 337 and its decision to issue an exclusion order despite the fact that Samsung had previously pledged to license the patent at issue on FRAND terms, along with a dissent by Commissioner Dean A. Pinkert from the decision to issue an exclusion order.”
Here is a press report from IDG. It reminds us that “The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in June that some Apple products violated a Samsung patent” and “The ban could come into effect on Aug. 5 after a 60-days review period during which U.S. President Barack Obama can veto the order.”
We wrote about this before. It is rather amusing that a politician is being given the power to intervene in matters that are outside his scope. It is funny how nobody dares to point this out. How about denial of asylum in another country? Where has compartmentalisation of this system gone? █
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Posted in GNU/Linux, Google, Microsoft, Patents at 11:22 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Barnes & Noble loses its CEO who rendered the company just another Microsoft prey
THE CEO of B & N quits after he agreed to be a puppy of Ballmer in exchange for a little bribe, turning the company from a Microsoft challenger into some kind of strange proxy like Novell. Let’s look at some of the latest developments
A few weeks ago we started to mention how B & N had collapsed. Taking a bribe from Microsoft rather than suing Microsoft wasn’t a smart move and the CEO of B & N quits now. How could he be so gullible? Has he not seen that dead path of companies at the entrance of Microsoft’s cave? Anyway, he is out now. Pamela Jones writes: “That isn’t how I view it. I view it that Microsoft is killing off anyone selling Android/Linux whenever possible, whether by partnerships (Nokia) or investments or litigation. The Nook was doing great until Microsoft entered the picture by trying to force Barnes & Noble to pay royalties allegedly owed for running Linux on the Nook. None of the patents were needed by Barnes & Noble, according to them, and next thing we hear is Microsoft has settled the case against it and will invest in Barnes & Noble, and next we see this.”
Here is a later report with some numbers:
Not long after Microsoft’s investment, though, Nook sales began to decline precipitously. In the most recent quarter, Nook revenues fell 34 percent, and were down 16.8 percent for the year. It’s unclear why anybody would want to buy Nook Media outright now; there were rumors that Microsoft might do so, but months have passed without an offer (if it were interested, Microsoft could get a pretty good deal right about now).
We already called for a boycott of B & N, following those iffy moves that made the company more dangerous than beneficial to Android and Free software in general. Jones added : “If the point was to kill off another Android vendor, what would be the point of buying the company?”
A shame really. B & N ended up like Novell, which BN (Boycott Novell) saw turning into a Microsoft proxy following a horrible deal. █
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