Today’s topics include an ITC judge finding Apple infringed on Qualcomm IP but will not ban iPhones from the United States, and the founder of the web launching Inrupt to improve internet privacy.
In the latest development of the ongoing legal dispute between ex-technology partners Apple and Qualcomm over alleged patent violations, Judge Thomas Pender of the International Trade Commission determined that while Apple did infringe on one of three Qualcomm patents, there is no reason to ban iPhones from the United States.
Qualcomm had sued Apple for patent infringement and tried to get Apple iPhones that now use wireless modem chips from Intel banned from being imported into the U.S.
The ruling was a mixed result for Qualcomm, with Pender determining Apple had infringed on a Qualcomm patent related to power management but that it was in the best interest of the public that there be no limited ban on iPhones. Pender’s ruling can now be reviewed by the full commission, which can adopt the findings or replace them with its own.
On Sept. 28, Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web 30 years ago, announced his new effort to help decentralize internet information with an open-source effort known as Solid, which is backed by a new startup called Inrupt.
At the core of Solid is the concept of the Solid Pod, which is a repository of user data. The Solid Pod can be stored anywhere the user wants, be it their own system or with a cloud provider, and protects user privacy while also making it easier for developers to get user information without needing to build stand-alone systems to first collect that information.
As an open-source effort, code for running a Solid Pod server is freely available on Github. Inrupt is now also providing a free Solid Pod service.