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Smartphone Patents and Intellectual Property Rights
ARCchart
October 1, 2010 75 Pages - SKU: CCEQ2835704
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Patent activity is a good measure of a company’s competitiveness and its ability to protect its long-term profitability. Patents are internationally defendable and ensure that a company with a strong bias towards research innovation will maintain a strong market presence and a good return for its investors. This report conducts a review of the smartphone platform patenting activity of the major companies across the mobile industry, and presents an evaluation of how these companies are positioned in the market as a result of their intellectual property holdings.
The report summarises the current legal disputes in the mobile market and presents case studies for the high-profile disputes between Apple and HTC, Apple and Nokia, the Apple multi-touch challenge and the social networking challenge made to Google and Facebook. The disputed patents are identified and an outlook presented for each party depending on ultimate settlement.
An analysis of patents awarded over the period June 2009 to June 2010 related to smartphone hardware, platforms, software and services was conducted in order to identify key patenting trends and the intellectual property standing of the leading industry players. The work identified four areas of active patenting - the user interface, short-range connectivity, location based services, and search and advertising. Some findings were unsurprising, such as Google’s strong IPR in the area of search, while others were less expected, such as Samsung’s high ranking in user interface patents - the company being second only to Apple in this area.
Topics of coverage include:
- Determining the value of patents
- Smartphone market overview
- How patents help build a competitive advantage
- Significant new smartphone patents
- Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs) - strategies and influence
- Patent dispute case studies
- Smartphone patenting volume analysis
- Areas of high patenting activity - UI, Connectivity, LBS, and Search and Advertising
- Outlook for patent reform
- Summary of patent disputes in the handset industry
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Additional InformationCompanies mentioned, discussed or reviewed include:
Acer
Alcatel-Lucent
Apple
AT&T
Digital Tech Licensing
Eastman Kodak
Edge Wireless
Elan Microelectronics
EMG Technology
Ericsson
Facebook
Google
HP
HTC
Immersion
Intel
Intellect Wireless
InterDigital
IPCom
ITC
ITT Corp
Jumptap
Klausner Technologies
Kyocera
LG
LiMo Foundation
MasterCard
Microsoft
MicroUnity
Mobile MediaIdeas
Motorola
Nintendo
Nokia
NTP
NTT DoCoMo
NXP
Palm
Prism Technologies
Qualcomm
RIM
Samsung
Servo Software
Sony
Sony Ericsson
Sprint Nextel
Starhome
Symbian
T-Mobile
Texas Instruments
Tune Hunter
Verizon
Virgin Mobile
Visa
Visto
Vodafone
WiLAN
Winksite
WIPO
Wireless Ink
Yahoo
- A. Research Methodology
- A.1 Determining the Value of Patents
- Patent Count
- Patent Citations
- Significant Patents
- Patent Valuing Methods
- A.2 Valuing Methods Used in this Study
- B. Smartphone Overview
- B.1 Handset Market Shares
- Nokia
- Apple
- B.2 Smartphone Operating Systems
- Open Source
- MeeGo
- Mobile Applications
- Platform Strategies
- C. Patent Disputes
- Motivations for lawsuits
- ITC Involvement in Patent Disputes
- C.1 Why Are Patent Disputes Increasing?
- Economic Environment
- Floodgates Principle
- Product Complexity
- Flawed Patenting System
- C.2 Non-Practicing Entities
- Damages Awarded
- NPE Activity in the Smartphone Market
- Intellect Wireless Sues Apple
- IPCom Sues HTC in Germany
- WiLAN Sues Apple, LG, HP, Intel and Motorola
- Wireless Ink Sues Google and Facebook
- Klausner Technologies Sues Motorola and RIM
- Mobile Media Ideas Sues Apple, HTC and RIM
- MicroUnity Sues the Mobile Community
- NTP Sues Apple, Google, HTC and LG Electronics
- NPEs as a Positive Influence
- InterDigital
- Countering NPEs
- C.3 Dispute Case Studies
- The Multi-touch Dispute
- Apple Suing HTC
- Patent Analysis
- Google Involvement in HTC versus Apple Case
- Microsoft Agreement with HTC
- Google and Facebook Sued Over Mobile Social Networking
- Alleged Violations
- Nokia versus Apple
- Alleged Violations
- C.4 Patent Reform
- The Patent Reform Act
- Supreme Court Actions
- D. Patent Analysis
- D.1 Overall Mobile Patents
- D.2 Areas of High Smartphone Patenting Activity
- User Interface
- Short-Range Connectivity
- Location Based Services (LBS)
- Search and Advertising
- D.3 User Interface Patent Activity
- Patenting Activity
- Apple
- Samsung
- RIM
- Nokia
- Patent Citations
- D.4 Significant User Interface Patents
- Apple: Multi-touch Tactile Keyboard
- Apple: Pen Grip
- Immersion Corporation
- Immersion: Mood-Based Haptic Feedback
- Qualcomm: Tri-Screen Device
- Google: Navigation through a 3D Environment
- D.5 Short-Range Connectivity Patent Activity
- Near Field Communications
- Patent Activity
- Nokia
- Microsoft
- Sony and NXP
- Samsung
- Apple
- D.6 Significant Short-Range Connectivity Patents
- Microsoft: Group Content Use
- Apple: Sports Network Sensors and Feedback
- Apple: NFC Enhanced Benefits/Rewards
- D.7 Location Based Services Patent Activity
- Nokia
- Microsoft, Sony Ericsson and Samsung
- Apple and Google
- D.8 Significant LBS Patents
- AT&T: Intelligent GPS Power Management
- Apple: Group Formation Using Anonymous Broadcast Information
- Apple: Mobile Location Sharing
- Google: Mobile Location Advertising
- Google: Location Sniffing Solution
- LG: LBS for Multipoint Broadcasting
- D.9 Search and Advertising Patenting Activity
- Google
- Nokia
- Apple
- Microsoft
- D.10 Significant Search and Advertising Patents
- Google: Image-Based Search Engine for Mobile Phones with Camera
- Google: Reasonable Surfer Patent
- Servo Software: Social Mobile Search
- Jumptap: Bid Management System for Advertising
- E. Key Learnings
- E.1 Two Large Legal Cases Shape the Smartphone Industry
- E.2 NPE Activity Increases
- E.3 Smartphone Complexity Leads to Greater Disputes
- E.4 User Interface
- E.5 Connectivity
- E.6 Location Based Services
- E.7 Search and Advertising
- List of Figures
- Figure 1 -Global smartphone shipments: 2010 - 2015
- Figure 2 - Global handset shipments and market share by manufacturer: 2008 to 2009
- Figure 3 - iPhone unit shipments: 2007 - 2009
- Figure 4 - Smartphone OS market share: 2010
- Figure 5 - Commercial smartphone operating systems
- Figure 6 - Number of patent disputes in Telecoms, IT and Media: 1991 - 2009
- Figure 7 - List of current legal disputes in the mobile market
- Figure 8 - Total mobile and wireless technology patents issued: 2002 - 2009
- Figure 9 - Patent count for top patenting areas: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 10 - Number of UI patents issued by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 11 - Number of UI patent citations by top patenting companies: June 2009 to 2010
- Figure 12 - Apple’s tactile keyboard
- Figure 13 - Sylus-less handwriting recognition
- Figure 14 - Qualcomm’s multi-fold tablet
- Figure 15 - Number of connectively patents issued by top patenting companies: June 2009 to 2010
- Figure 16 - Number of connectivity patent citations by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 17 - Schematic of Apple’s auto racing sensory feedback patent
- Figure 18 - NFC coffee cup exemplifying Apple’s Enhanced Benefits Application
- Figure 19 - Number of LBS patents by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 20 - Number of LBS patent citations by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 21 - Number of search and advertising patents by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
- Figure 22 - Number of search and advertising patent citations by top patenting companies: June 2009 to June 2010
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