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US Patent and Trademark office says data leak affected filers

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) kept an open, internet-accessible database of private postal addresses belonging to patent filers for more than eight months.

The U.S. government agency, responsible for handling patents and trademarks, sent a notification letter to affected individuals, explaining what had happened, and what it did following the discovery. 

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The next HomePod could be more like a soundbar according to this Apple patent – and it hints at fixing the HomePod 2’s biggest issue

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The next Apple HomePod might have a much longer and thinner horizontal design than previous models, making it look more like a soundbar, according to an Apple patent spotted by AppleInsider.

The patent details the design of what appears to be a horizontal HomePod with speakers and a central display that reminds us of the design of the JBL Charge 5 speaker or a chunkier soundbar, like the Sonos Ray. Either way, it’s a huge departure from the cylindrical design of the first HomePod or the HomePod Mini’s cute sphere aesthetic. 

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AirPods Case With Touchscreen Knock-Off Copies Apple Patent

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Apple registers many patents most of which never see the light of day as consumer products – officially, that is. One burgeoning knock-off merchant in China has apparently taken cues from an idea Apple had in 2021 for AirPods featuring a case with a built-in touchscreen display.

AirPods Pro Case With Screen
Pictures and video shared on X (Twitter) by occasional leaker @lipilipsi show production units of counterfeit AirPods with an OLED touchscreen integrated into the front of the case.

Activated when the case lid is opened, the display allows users to select noise control options, “Find My” earbuds, choose equalizer presets, and lock the screen. The display also shows users the battery level of each AirPod, the current time, and Bluetooth connectivity.

It’s clear where the concept has been ripped off from. An Apple 2021 patent reads:

“The utility of a headphone case can be enhanced, and user control over a user’s wireless headphones can be improved, by configuring a headphone case with an interactive user interface to enable user control of operations associated with the wireless headphones.”

airpods case display knockoff
In one embodiment, Apple envisions controlling Apple Music via the case through the use of a capacitive touchscreen with a GUI that also provides tactile feedback, allowing the user to control audio playback, adjust volume, favorite songs, and interact with their music in other ways – similar to the knock-off device we see here.

By integrating an interactive touchscreen display in such a way, the patent argues, “deficiencies associated with user control of wireless headphones are reduced or eliminated.”

The popularity of AirPods has seen record numbers of counterfeit wireless headphones seized at the U.S. border in recent years. According to a 2021 report, roughly 360,000 counterfeit wireless headphones with a retail value of $62.2 million were confiscated in the first nine months of the U.S. government’s fiscal year, based on data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That should be “AirPods with OLED display”

U.S. Customs said that 80% of all counterfeit products coming into the U.S. were from mainland China or Hong Kong. While it’s unclear how many of the seized counterfeit headphones were AirPods, U.S. Customs said seizures had increased 50% in the previous five years as products such as Apple’s earbuds gained popularity.

Counterfeit AirPods can use genuine Apple serial numbers and usually look physically indistinguishable from legitimate AirPods. Many often have functional equivalent noise control features, but the touchscreen is a new one on us.

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Nokia and Vivo sign new 5G patent agreement

Nokia and Vivo

Nokia has announced it has signed a new 5G patent agreement with Vivo, the new agreement will be a multi-year agreement between the two companies and Nokia will receive catch-up payments from Vivo.

This new agreement between Nokia and Vivo will put an end to any previous legal disputes between the two companies, Nokia has said that this is the sixth agreement they have arranged with major smartphone makers in the last 13 months.

Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said: “This is the sixth major smartphone patent license agreement we have signed in the past thirteen months, and we have now almost completed our smartphone license renewal cycle. Together these licensing agreements demonstrate Nokia’s significant contribution to developing key technologies relied upon by the entire smartphone industry and they will provide long-term stability to our licensing business for years to come.”  Lukander added: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with vivo which reflects mutual respect for each other’s intellectual property rights. vivo is one of the leading players in the global smartphone industry. We look forward to bringing more innovation to their users around the world through our collaboration.”

Xianwen Xu, General Manager of Legal Affairs Department at vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd., stated, “We are pleased to have reached a global cross-license agreement with Nokia. Signing the agreement, reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s patent value in cellular technology and it also plays a significant role in fostering a positive development environment within the industry. We are dedicated to investing in R&D of smart devices and intelligent services, providing extraordinary hi-tech products and services for users worldwide.”

You can find out more details about the agreement between Nokia and Vivo over at Nokia’s website at the link below.

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Image Credit: Pawel Czerwinski

Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News





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Nokia and Oppo sign 5G patent agreement

Nokia and Oppo

Nokia has announced that it has signed a new patent cross-license agreement with Nokia, the agreement will see Nokia receive payments from Oppo for a multi-year period, and there will also be payments for previous years.

This new agreement resolves any previous litigation between Nokia and Oppo and the catch-payments will cover any previous license fees that were due during the time the two companies were in dispute.

Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, said: “We are delighted to have reached a cross-license agreement with OPPO that reflects the mutual respect for each other’s intellectual property and Nokia’s investments in R&D and contributions to open standards. OPPO is one of the leading companies in the global smartphone market and we look forward to working together to bring further innovation to their users around the world. The new agreement – along with the other major smartphone agreements we have concluded over the past year – will provide long-term financial stability to our licensing business.”

Feng Ying, OPPO’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer, stated: “We are pleased to have reached this global patent cross-license agreement with Nokia, which includes cross-licensing for 5G standard-essential patents. This agreement reflects the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property and lays the foundation for future collaboration between OPPO and Nokia. OPPO continues to advocate for reasonable royalty fees and a long-term approach to intellectual property that supports the resolution of disputes through amicable negotiations and mutual respect for the value of all intellectual property.”

You can find out full details about the new patent licensing agreement between Nokia and Oppo over at Nokia’s website at the link below.

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Nokia and Honor sign 5G patent license agreement

Nokia Honor

Nokia has announced that it has signed a new 5G patent license agreement with smartphone maker Honor, Nokia has said that this is the fourth major smartphone maker they have signed a smartphone agreement with in the last 12 months.

Susanna Martikainen, Chief Licensing Officer Mobile Devices at Nokia said: “We are delighted to have concluded an amicable patent cross-license agreement with Honor, one of the leading players in the Chinese smartphone market. It is the fourth major litigation-free smartphone agreement that Nokia has concluded over the past twelve months and highlights once again the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio and decades-long contributions to cellular standards and other technologies.”

Wenyu Zhou, Head of Global Intellectual Property at Honor said: “As both 5G SEP holder and implementor, Honor highly respects IP rights and strongly believes that reasonable value of IP is important to the development of mobile industry. The conclusion of the patent cross-license agreement shows Honor’s commitment on innovation to enabling a smart life across all scenarios and all channels, for all people.”

Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio is built on more than €140 billion invested in R&D since 2000 and is composed of around 20,000 patent families, including over 6,000 patent families declared essential to 5G. Nokia contributes its inventions to open standards in return for the right to license them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. Companies can license and use these technologies without the need to make their own substantial investments in the standards, fueling innovation and the development of new products and services for consumers.

You can find out more details about the new patent agreement between Nokia and Honor for 5G smartphone patents over at the Nokia website at the link below.

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