Apple and Google's Motorola Unit Seeking Arbitration to Resolve Patent Dispute

Bloomberg reports that a new court filing in the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Google's Motorola Mobility unit reveals that both sides are interested in using binding arbitration in order to resolve the issues related to standards-essential patents at a minimum, if not the entire dispute.

The companies have been exchanging proposals on using binding arbitration to reach a licensing agreement over patents that are essential to comply with industry standards on how phones operate. Such an agreement could lead to a global settlement of all of their patent disputes, Apple said in a filing yesterday.

“Apple is also interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola completely and agrees that arbitration may be the best vehicle to resolve the parties’ dispute,” Apple said in the filing.

Arbitration would avoid the need for a further protraction of the ongoing court cases, moving the dispute out of the courts and into the hands of a neutral third third party who would review evidence and render a decision that both parties would be legally obligated to accept.

apple motorola logos
The willingness to engage in arbitration is another sign that the mobile companies involved in a vast web of lawsuits may be seeking to wind down their confrontations, with Apple and HTC having announced a settlement in their dispute over the weekend. Apple's major foe is, however, still Samsung and it appears that there may be no settlement in sight for that dispute.

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Top Rated Comments

ItsWelshy Avatar
160 months ago
Good. Hopefully Apple and Samsung can hug it out too. It's going to happen eventually I'm sure, hopefully soon.
I hope not. Android is a stolen OS, it would be disgusting if Google get away with this.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dalbir4444 Avatar
160 months ago
The only corporation that is ridiculous is Samsung.

God awful, distasteful company that the world would be a much better place without..

This isn't a 'fanboystic' approach; more personal through use of their dire products.

S

You keep telling yourself that.

----------

Some people think different from you on that topic:

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

--Steve Jobs

He spread the most FUD about Android and people ate it all up, and still do.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sy7ygy Avatar
160 months ago
I'm sick of the patent stories... and I'm not saying that against Macrumors. I'm just tired of these corporations being so ridiculous. Here's hoping that the end is in sight.

The only corporation that is ridiculous is Samsung.

God awful, distasteful company that the world would be a much better place without..

This isn't a 'fanboystic' approach; more personal through use of their dire products.

S
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjohnstone Avatar
160 months ago
I hope not. Android is a stolen OS, it would be disgusting if Google get away with this.
What???
Please stop with this "stolen" nonsense.
It's pure FUD.

Arbitration on contract negotiations is a good path and better than wasting court time.
Plus it doesn't get patents invalidated. ;)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
evansls Avatar
160 months ago
I can't believe Motorola still has that logo. Now that Google owns then, they've really got to replace the 50's bra with something a little more modern.

...This is where everyone scrolls up the page to see if the logo looks like a 50's bra.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maknik Avatar
160 months ago
I can't believe Motorola still has that logo. Now that Google owns them, they've really got to replace the 50's bra with something a little more modern.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)