On May 5, 2010 Apple filed for a logo titled "Made for iPhone" which contained a small image of an iPhone graphic along with the verbiage "Made for iPhone." Little did we know that shortly after Apple's filing, Samsung and Acer formally filed an application of opposition to the Canadian IP Office. 

In Mid-June Microsoft surprised the market with their re-entry into the tablet and ePen business to compete with Apple. The difference this time around is that Microsoft wants to attack Apple directly on this front while still having their long standing PC partners join them. Well, HP and Dell aren't too crazy about Microsoft entering the hardware side of the business and they're taking action.

Alcatel-Lucent subsidiary Multimedia Patent Trust has sued many consumer electronics companies and broadcasters over the years including Microsoft, Dell, LG, TiVo, Canon and yes Apple. In this latest patent infringement filing, Multimedia Patent Trust (MPT) focuses their entire case against Apple on three counts stemming from a single patent regarding video compression used in Apple's QuickTime. The law suit has been filed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a law firm which has represented Motorola against Apple in the past and who is known to be close to Google.  

Although it's another slow summer day on Apple's patent front, the US Patent & Trademark Office published did publish several patent applications of Apple's – and two of them are worth noting. The first relates to adressee based message prioritization for Apple Mail and the second relates to revelations about one of Apple's industrial design processing secrets.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 56 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. One of the key patents that were found within this group relates to Apple's future iWallet. It's a patent that happened to sneak through the patent application process in 2009 by not being listed as an Apple assigned patent. This newly granted patent reveals Apple's virtual equivalent of a credit card swipe on an iDevice GUI. The iWallet is going to be a major iPhone application in the future and it's one that Apple is meticulously designing. The iWallet could very well end up being one of the most important apps of the decade.

The first patents to be granted to Apple after the jury handed them a victory over Samsung last Friday, are yet more iPhone related patents to strengthen their already lethal portfolio. The first granted patent is a key one relating to editing on iDevices including the iPhone. Another granted patent supports one of the very patents that were used in the Apple v. Samsung trial. Amongst the other iPhone related patent wins today is a partial GUI design.

Some stories are just too incredible to believe and yet they are. You could shake your head in disbelief, laugh with tears running down your face and yet the fact is, the story really happened. Well, the following case that you're about to read is an official complaint filed in Sacramento by Amanda U. Ajuluchuku on August 23, 2012 against Apple. Ms. Ajuluchuku is seeking damages for ten million dollars for a host of claims which include being assaulted at an Apple Store. Due to the civil rights nature of this case, Patently Apple presents the full complaint without commentary or opinion.  Report Updated Aug. 28, 2012

A Taiwan report out this morning shows us a little of how their media is taking the Apple v. Samsung verdict that was handed down on Friday. The final outcome of the case, they state, is expected to have a ripple effect on the smartphone market. Some local analysts see Apple's triumph over Samsung as delivering a fatal blow to the Android camp.

After just three days, the jury in the Apple v. Samsung patent-infringement trial tells the judge it has reached a decision. The jury had to come to a unanimous verdict. Jurors were given a 109-page document with instructions about the case. The jury has ruled that Samsung Violated Apple Patents. Apple sued Samsung last year for copying the essential features of its iPad and iPhone. Today's verdict tells us that patents do in fact matter. It's certainly a great day for innovators: Congratulations Apple!  August 25: Report Updated with Key Patent Links and more

Surprise, surprise, Hon Hai has filed a patent application relating to a new iPod nano wrist watch band with storage areas for earphones and a battery. Whether the design was created for Apple or to be marketed by a yet unnamed distributor or themselves is unknown at this time.

A new report out Taiwan this morning states that Apple will continue its dominance in the worldwide tablet computer market with its iPad, but that other firms making tablets powered by Google Inc.'s Android system might pick up sales in the 7-inch segment. Yet even with a pick-up in sales in 7 and 10" tablets, the report continues to show us that the current block of Android OEM's will still be eating the iPad's market crumbs for some time to come.

Some weeks there just isn't a wining patent declared by a rocking TKO. This week is such a case but that doesn't mean that that there weren't a series of solid inventions, because there were. A series of patent applications came to light today relating to improvements in the works for iDevice haptics, Apple's iSight camera, flash memory and accessibility for the hearing impaired. More times than not it's the simple utility patents like these that end up being implemented by Apple.