Samsung Wins a Patent Case Over Apple in Japan

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Saturday, September 01, 2012

Samsung Wins a Patent Case Over Apple in Japan

By HIROKO TABUCHI and NICK WINGFIELD

TOKYO — A Japanese court on Friday rejected patent claims made by Apple against Samsung, a victory for the company after its crushing defeat in the United States last week and a reminder of the global scope of the patent war between the two technology giants.

While Apple prevailed over Samsung in the United States, winning an award of $1 billion in damages from a federal jury, the two companies remain neck-and-neck in legal disputes in almost a dozen countries. A judge in South Korea, where Samsung is based, for example, handed down a split decision in a patent case shortly before the jury verdict in the American case.

“Internationally, it’s been a mixed picture” for Apple, said James Bessen, an economist and lecturer at the Boston University School of Law. “Part of that is because most other countries don’t have the same attitude toward software patenting that the U.S. has.”

For both companies, Japan makes up a far smaller proportion of sales than the all-important American market. But the Tokyo ruling suggests that despite Apple’s victory last week, the jostling between the two companies for the upper hand in the fast-growing smartphone and tablet businesses is just beginning.

The Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets did not violate an Apple patent on technology that synchronizes music and videos between devices and servers.

Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., sued Samsung in Tokyo last year in a case that sought 100 million yen, or $1.3 million, in damages.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Apple-Samsung Case Muddies the Future of Innovation

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Monday, August 27, 2012

Apple-Samsung Case Muddies the Future of Innovation

By NICK WINGFIELD

Apple’s victory on Friday in a patent lawsuit against Samsung could, if upheld, give its rivals a kick in the pants to create more original products.

Whether consumers respond by buying the more distinctive devices is another question entirely.

Consider the case of Windows Phone, Microsoft’s operating system for smartphones, which looks almost nothing like the Apple software for iPhones and iPads. Reviewers have praised Windows Phone for its fresh, distinctive design, with bold typography and a tile system for using phone functions.

But the phones, including the Lumia 900 from Nokia, have not sold well.

Microsoft’s product has not gained traction for a number of possible reasons, among them the big lead its rivals had in the marketplace and the relatively weak distribution of its main partner, Nokia. But the experience shows that any flourishing of innovative products prompted by the Samsung verdict may not translate into success for Apple’s rivals.

People across the technology industry have expressed concerns about the future of innovation after a nine-person jury ruled in Apple’s favor last week in Federal District Court in San Jose, Calif. The jury said Samsung smartphone and tablet products violated a series of Apple patents protecting a number of designs and functions — including the rectangular shape and rounded edges of the iPhone and the pinch-to-zoom gesture that magnifies an image on Apple devices.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

FedEx Agrees to Pay $3 Million to Settle a Discrimination Case

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Thursday, March 22, 2012

FedEx Agrees to Pay $3 Million to Settle a Discrimination Case

 By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

The United States Department of Labor has reached a $3 million settlement with the ground delivery unit of FedEx to resolve allegations that the company discriminated against 21,635 job seekers at two dozen FedEx facilities in 15 states.

The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs reached the agreement with FedEx Ground Package Systems after saying that it had found evidence of discrimination in hiring on the basis of sex, race and national origin. The office monitors employment practices at the nation’s 200,000 federal contractors, which employ roughly a fourth of the nation’s work force.

Under the settlement, department officials said Wednesday, FedEx has agreed to make wide-ranging changes to correct any discriminatory hiring practices and to extend job offers to 1,703 of the people rejected for jobs as part-time package handlers as those positions become available.

 Patricia A. Shiu, director of the contract compliance office, said it was her office’s largest settlement since 2004, when it reached a $5.5 million resolution with Wachovia after finding that more than 2,000 of the bank’s female workers had been underpaid.

“When you do business with the government, we expect you to do the right thing,” said Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis in a statement. “That includes giving all Americans an equal shot at a good job. It’s about more than just the law — diversity is smart for business.”

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HP Helps Hospitals Improve Patient Flow

News release from Hewlett Packard:

Press Release : February 08, 2012

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HP Helps Hospitals Improve Patient Flow with Central Logic

Central Logic software integrated with HP touchscreen technology can save hospitals time and money

Topics: Touchscreen Technology

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP today announced it is working with Central Logic, a leading healthcare software provider, to help hospitals improve patient care, increase hospital efficiency and reduce costs.

HP is integrating Central Logic Core™, an intuitive, web-based bed management system, into its HP Z600 Workstations. Hospital staff can replace their whiteboards with this HP touchscreen technology solution to more easily manage patient case processing and bed capacity optimization.

Hospitals of all sizes can choose from any number of display options including the HP TouchSmart 9300, HP 47-inch touch capable digital signage displays and the highly mobile HP Slate 2.

Central Logic’s software will be sold exclusively on HP hardware through HP Healthcare Specialist Partners and distributors such as Ingram-Micro.

“The combination of Central Logic Core software and HP technology answers hospital community demands to deliver reliable solutions that leverage touch technology,” said Chris Mertens, vice president, Healthcare Practice, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Touchscreen solutions can save hospitals valuable time and money and result in maximum patient flow optimization.”

“We see this solution as a way of automating bed management processes and replacing the whiteboards you typically see throughout hospitals with functional, dynamic, digital displays that all nurses and doctors can easily use,” said Darin Vercillo, chief executive officer, Central Logic. “Central Logic’s patient flow solutions operated with HP’s touch technology provides tremendous value and will greatly increase hospital productivity.” 

Central Logic offers a full suite of patient flow software solutions utilizing HP TouchSmart PCs and digital signage displays to help manage patients throughout their hospital stay. Central Logic’s ForeFront™ software is the industry’s leading patient transfer and admission solution, Central Logic Edge™ software assists with patient transport and dispatching, Central Logic Connect™ aids the discharging process, and Central Logic Insight™ centralizes physician scheduling and availability.

More information on HP Healthcare solutions is available at: www.hp.com/go/hphealthcare

About Central Logic, Inc.

Central Logic is the healthcare industry’s leading provider of innovative patient flow software and consultative expertise. Since 2005, the company’s solutions have transformed patient transfer processes for some of the United States’ most respected medical systems and hospitals. Central Logic works collaboratively with physicians, administrators and staff to design and deliver patient flow solutions that increase patient throughput while conserving internal resources. For more information, please visit http://www.centrallogic.com/.