Law and Innovation

Fresh and interesting article : There’s no such thing as a stupid question… Although this question may seem to be targeting just a few companies desiring to build a device compatible with a given Android version, it may also give you a short overview on how Google is using Android as a trademark.  As you can read on Wikipedia, Android, Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, in October 2003, by 4 persons: Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger), Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.), Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV). [1] In November 2007, just a few months after the original and revolutionary iPhone came out [2] , the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) was announced. On September 23, 2008 the current leading smartphone platform in the world was launched as an open source project. As you know, Android falls into two categories: the open parts from the AOSP, which are the foundation of Andro...

Fresh and interesting article from TechCrunch about Google's new acquisition Nest Labs which  makes Internet connected thermostats and smoke detectors:  "Google is acquiring connected device company Nest for $3.2B. Google sent out an email to employees noting the acquisition today and later issued a press  release . In the release, Google noted that Nest has been offering its best-selling thermostat since 2011 and recently began offering the Protect smoke alarm, which networks with its other devices. Nest Founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers will both join Google. Rogers, pictured above, was one of the first engineers on the iPhone team at Apple. “They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe,” said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement. “We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!” Fadell, who ...

Fresh and interesting article from Forbes , the American business magazine, and TechCrunch , about Google's location history Browser "mapping" your movements:  "A recent story on TechCrunch highlighted a little-known feature of Google's mapping services; the ability to record and display a daily history of your whereabouts  [emphasis added]. The service is called  Location History and is available via a web browser when you’re logged into your Google account. What you get is a Google Maps display that includes a calendar to specify the date for which you want to review your travels. An hourly graph is displayed below the map so that you can mouse over a specific time to see your location at that hour. Google even provides a play button that will automatically scroll through the timeline for you.  This location data is coming from your smartphone or tablet, of course. Google’s apps have the ability to periodically track your location, rega...

Fresh and interesting article from Business Insider  about the war between the two tech Giants: Google Inc. and Apple Inc.  "This is an excerpt from "DOGFIGHT: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution" by Fred Vogelstein, published in October 2013 by Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. By 2010 Apple and Google were attacking each other on every possible front: in the courts, in the media, and in the marketplace. Android's surge in popularity was astonishing, and Andy Rubin, Eric Schmidt, and the rest of Google made no secret of their glee. It seemed that every chance they got during 2010 they would expound on how many monthly activations Android had racked up and how mobile devices were going to change the future of Google and the world. In an April 2010 interview with the New York Times, Rubin even predicted that Android was going to rule the entire mobile universe. The year before he had been worried ...