Apple loses tablet patent lawsuit in Spain

La vaca santa! After winning injunctions against Samsung and its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany and Australia, not to mention other various lawsuits around the world, a tiny Android tablet maker from Spain has successfully defended itself in a criminal patent suit. NK-T, makers of cheap Android tablets for their regional market, found themselves labelled as pirates and criminals when Apple filed an complaint against them in November, 2010. The court found NK-T innocent of criminal charges today.


The small company posted a victorious message to their blog. Via Google Translate:

Needless to clear all the damage it has caused this unjust accusation , both economically and emotionally to our company. We are a small company like many others in these times of crisis we are trying to get ahead, and it seems grossly unfair that a company the caliber of Apple has to use its dominant influence. Parallel to this, start the corresponding civil suit against Apple for consequential damages, lost profits and moral damage.

It looks like NT-K is going to pursue a civil case against Apple, and well they should – by filing the original complaint in criminal court, Apple saw to it that the company’s merchandise was seized and their EU import privileges suspended. looking through the company’s website, it looks like they only have one model for sale,a standard 7-inch Gingerbread tablet, which doesn’t even bear the resemblance to the iPad that Apple is claiming from Samsung’s devices.

With all the patent trolling Apple is doing in the US and abroad, it’s nice to see a win for the little guy. Of course, Apple went after a Spanish company on their home soil, and did it with an overbearing criminal case that they probably wouldn’t dare against the likes of Samsung or HTC. Here’s hoping this is a sign of more rational judicial decisions to come.

[via 9to5 Mac]

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Google Branded SIM Cards Indicate Google Voice More Than Just a Compliment to Existing Service in Spain?

An interesting rumor has come out of Spanish site Xataka Android. Apparently, Google-branded SIM cards have been spotted and tested on the Nexus S The rumor suggests Google will look to either Pepephone or Simyo to help them become an actual carrier. On the photo below, you can see the carrier branding is “Google_Es”.
This is interesting, though methods do exist that allow users to change carrier branding themselves. We doubt Google Voice will translate into a Google-run carrier business, but the possibility does remain. For the time being, it’s still just a companion service to the cellular service you already have. [Thanks Roberto!]

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