Apple targets Google in patent suit

Apple urged a federal court in Silicon Valley to add Android 4.1, referred to by Google as Jelly Bean, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet to a patent suit on track for trial next year, according to reports.

The judge took the request under consideration.

Meanwhile, Samsung has countered with a legal move that says Apple's iPhone 5 infringes on patents held by the South Korean electronics giant.

Samsung and Apple have been waging patent wars in an array of countries in an indirect assault on Google's Android software.

In a separate case, a jury in August declared that Samsung should pay Apple US$1.049bn in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features.

Samsung has appealed to a higher court to reverse the jury verdict.

Meanwhile...

WASHINGTON, US: Apple itself has been ordered to pay US$368m in patent case.

Apple has been ordered to pay US$368m for patent infringement in its use of Facetime, an application that allows for video calls on mobile devices, the plaintiff said on Wednesday.

Security software firm VirnetX said in a statement the jury in a federal court in Texas ordered the payment "for infringing four VirnetX patents" and that the court will hear post-trial motions in the upcoming weeks.

"We are extremely pleased with the outcome of our suit with Apple," said Kendall Larsen, VirnetX chief executive and president. "This victory further establishes the importance of our patent portfolio."

VirnetX alleged in its suit that Apple should have paid a licensing fee to use the technologies allowing for secure connections using Facetime. Apple did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

VirnetX had sued Apple, Cisco Systems and others in 2010 for patent infringement. It alleged Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch infringed on the patents, which allow a type of virtual private network for secure mobile video calls.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge