The European commission moved on Tuesday to stem aggressive patent lawsuits by smartphone and tablet makers against rivals, ruling that Motorola Mobility had broken EU law by taking such action against Apple.In a dual ruling, the European Union’s anti-trust enforcer said that it had also accepted a pledge by Samsung Electronics not to seek injunctions against rivals if they had signed up to a licensing agreement for smartphones or tablets.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/29/eu-end-smartphone-patent-wars-landmark-rulingAlso see:Europe’s Antitrust Chief Censures Google’s Motorola Mobility Over Key Patents
Motorola Mobility broke European Union law by trying to wield unfair control over its basic patents for communications technologies used in smartphones and tablet computers, Europe’s antitrust chief said on Tuesday. But the commissioner did not fine the company, which is owned by Google.The decision by Joaquín Almunia, the European Union competition commissioner, is aimed at quelling the patent wars involving technology titans like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. In the case at issue, Motorola brandished a court injunction it won against Apple in a patent dispute in Germany to unfairly impede competition, Mr. Almunia’s office concluded.
www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/business/international/europes-antitrust-chief-censures-googles-motorola-mobility-but-stops-short-of-a-fine.htmlEuropean Union moves to end smartphone patent wars
The European Union’s antitrust enforcer has told two top smartphone makers to stop filing aggressive patent lawsuits against rivals such as Apple, aiming to end a patent war and open the market to freer competition.The European Commission reprimanded Motorola Mobility on Tuesday for taking such action against Apple, hoping the ruling will halt a rising tide of legal disputes among rivals vying for profit in the global smartphone market.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/04/29/uk-smartphone-wars-eu-idUKKBN0DF0WA20140429
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/29/uk-eu-antitrust-smartphones-idINKBN0DF1OJ20140429
