Smartphone Patent Wars

PATENT WARS The smartphone market is full of innovation - but the rapid pace of change has led to countless costly legal battles as companies vie to protect their property. We've examined some of the biggest smartphone skirmishes and what they mean for consumers. SAMSUNG Mobile patents filed (1996-2014): 21,000 Samsung is a titan of intellectual property, and the South Korean company is second only to IBM as the holder of the more patents than any company in the world. Last year alone, Samsung received 5,043 patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. INNOVATIVE PATENT Flexible Tablet Display Patent Application Number: US D/696693 Filed: September 2012 3 WEIRDEST PATENT Widescreen Smartphone Ratio-21:9 Patent Application Number: US D/428318 Filed: July 2012 NOKIA Mobile patents filed (1996-2014): 14,000 Nokia is a prolific filer of patents, and is believed to hold nearly a fifth of the standard essential patents for 4G LTE (long-term evolution) technology. In early 2014, the Finnish company settled a months-long intellectual property dispute with HTC, only to immediately forge a patent collaboration agreement with the Taiwanese manufacturer. INNOVATIVE PATENT Flexible Battery Patent Application Number: US 13/590724 Filed: August 2013 ? WEIRDEST PATENT Vibrating Tatto0 Patent Application Number: US 13/231697 Filed: September 2011 Mobile patents filed (1996-2014): 4,500 Considering its influence on the industry, Apple has a surpris- ingly slight number of mobile patents. However, history has shown that it's not afraid to vigorously defend the ones it has – between 2008 and 2010 alone, the company filed more than 350 cases. What's more, the outcomes of Apple-centric suits often set the bar for the IT industry at large. INNOVATIVE PATENT iWatch with Wireless Charging Patent Application Number: US 13/776436 Filed: February 2013 WEIRDEST PATENT Pneumatic Virtual keyboard Patent Application Number: US 12/617172 Filed: November 2009 Microsoft Mobile patents filed (1996-2014): 10,500 Microsoft is no stranger to patents (or litigation), and has long claimed that more than 70% of Android smartphones sold in the US are covered by licensing agreements. In June 2014, China's Ministry of Commerce revealed that the company indeed owns around 200 patent families that are necessary to produce an Android handset. INNOVATIVE PATENT Dual-Screen Smartphone Patent Application Number: US 12/639924 Filed: December 2009 ? WEIRDEST PATENT Brain Lateralisation Software Development Process Patent Application Number: US 11/565495 Filed: November 2006 LG Mobile patents filed (1996-2014): 9,500 Long-time Samsung rival LG is no slouch when it comes to patents, boasting that it held 23% of LTE (long-term evolution) patents for 4G technology in 2012 – more than Nokia – and filed even more applications than Samsung in that year. With the next wave of smartphone litigation battles expected to revolve around 4G, there could be interesting times ahead for the Korean firm. INNOVATIVE PATENT Wrist-Mounted Stylus Patent Application Number: US 13/759802 Filed: February 2013 WEIRDEST PATENT Smart Wine Reader Patent Application Number: US 12/647,365 Filed: December 2009