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Sunday, September 30, 2012
Projections for VRINGO: VRNG After Settlement or Trial
VHC Chart from 2009 to 2011
VHC is most similar company to VRNG in terms of previous market cap, suing a very large entrenched player in tech.
Shares of VHC were as low as 1.40 in 2009.
Official settlement was announced in June 2010 as seen in article above and confirmation of validity of patents by USPTO.
New VHC Lawsuit Against Apple from VHC is Pending
Now what do you ask this means for VRNG?
We are at a midway point for the shares vis a vis a possible settlement or jury trial beginning in about 2 weeks.
Upon a verdict of $1-2 billion WITHOUT willful infringement, this translates into a share price of about 15-40$ per share just simply adding cash onto the balance sheet.
With willful infringement we can be looking at higher prices sometime soon.
There may or may not be a settlement but regardless risk is low compared to major rewards.
Would recommend buying more shares at 2.5-2.75 range.
This is a very high stakes case, google is doing whatever it can to delay and obfuscate the facts as can be seen from the hundreds of useless motions filed.
It is also extremely rare for established older patents to be thrown out as Google is trying.
If this does not work they have very little defense other than that being some claims of different algorithms which they try to keep hidden from the public at large.
Keep in mind this does not factor in at all claims against ZTE or other likely infringers such as Cisco or Juniper which make similiar products.
Each of these settlements or trials will probably not be resolved till as with VHC MSFT case, patents were upheld by USPTO.
These ZTE claims can be worth upwards of an additional 100-300$ million or so on balance sheet.
Feel free to comment on your feedback.
VHC is most similar company to VRNG in terms of previous market cap, suing a very large entrenched player in tech.
Shares of VHC were as low as 1.40 in 2009.
Official settlement was announced in June 2010 as seen in article above and confirmation of validity of patents by USPTO.
New VHC Lawsuit Against Apple from VHC is Pending
Now what do you ask this means for VRNG?
We are at a midway point for the shares vis a vis a possible settlement or jury trial beginning in about 2 weeks.
Upon a verdict of $1-2 billion WITHOUT willful infringement, this translates into a share price of about 15-40$ per share just simply adding cash onto the balance sheet.
With willful infringement we can be looking at higher prices sometime soon.
There may or may not be a settlement but regardless risk is low compared to major rewards.
Would recommend buying more shares at 2.5-2.75 range.
This is a very high stakes case, google is doing whatever it can to delay and obfuscate the facts as can be seen from the hundreds of useless motions filed.
It is also extremely rare for established older patents to be thrown out as Google is trying.
If this does not work they have very little defense other than that being some claims of different algorithms which they try to keep hidden from the public at large.
Keep in mind this does not factor in at all claims against ZTE or other likely infringers such as Cisco or Juniper which make similiar products.
Each of these settlements or trials will probably not be resolved till as with VHC MSFT case, patents were upheld by USPTO.
These ZTE claims can be worth upwards of an additional 100-300$ million or so on balance sheet.
Feel free to comment on your feedback.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Vringo – Google Patent Maneuvering Nears Fever Pitch
Vringo – Google Patent Maneuvering Nears Fever Pitch
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Interested parties should, of course, read the entire filing. In plain English, what that says is “You should not allow GOOG to tell the Jury that the USPTO has rejected (on a non-final basis) the claims in the 420 Patent because the re-examination process is not complete and we have not told the USPTO our side of the story. If GOOG were to be allowed to tell the Jury this development, the Jury would be biased.”
Now, this was kinda my point exactly: if the Jury, who will already be confused beyond belief, hears that the USPTO “rejected” these 6 core claims – even if it was on a non-final basis pending further examination after VRNG presented its case – I think it would tip the scales heavily in Google’s favor.
The Company replied (in a conversation with me this evening) that 1) they think that the patent will eventually be confirmed (ie, this rejection will be overturned) and 2) once the Jury hears all the evidence from both sides – as opposed to the USPTO who only heard GOOG’s argument, that the Jury will likely side with VRNG.
It’s certainly good to know that VRNG had, prior to this re-examiner’s result, already moved to prevent the result from being used by Google in court – of course they did: they’re good at this lawyer stuff, it’s what they DO! As I’ve noted multiple times, I think that if the re-examiner’s action is allowed to be used by Google, that just as VRNG noted in their motion, it certainly WOULD prejudice the Jury against VRNG and be a serious negative for $VRNG. I am not a lawyer, but I think I’m smarter than the average Juror, and I am putting myself in their shoes. Just one man’s opinion.
What concerns me is that if this “evidence” is allowed, even if we agree with VRNG’s point that:
“Until and unless the USPTO issues a final decision cancelling that patent, the patentee is entitled to rely upon the presumption of validity”
we end up back in what I wrote in prior posts about the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law.” The letter of the law is almost certainly, as VRNG noted in that sentence just above, that their patent is presumed to be valid until the USPTO completes the re-examination process, which could take YEARS. However, when you’re talking about a confused jury listening to an endless stream of technical jargon about “search engine informons and wire strings,” the prejudice of the layman’s mind is not something to ignore."
Vrng Google Patent Review Case Is from Late May!
Application Number: | 90/009,991 | Customer Number: | - |
| Filing or 371 (c) Date: | 05-24-2012 | Status: | Non-Final Action Mailed |
| Application Type: | Re-Examination | Status Date: | 09-25-2012 |
| Examiner Name: | PROCTOR, JASON SCOTT | Location:  | ELECTRONIC |
| Group Art Unit: | 3992 | Location Date: | - |
| Confirmation Number: | 4797 | Earliest Publication No: | - |
| Attorney Docket Number: | S0217.0002/P002-RE | Earliest Publication Date: | - |
| Class / Subclass: | 707/600 | Patent Number: | - |
| First Named Inventor: | 6314420 |
Vringo Comments on U.S. Patent Office Action
Vringo Comments on U.S. Patent Office Action
"Vringo, Inc. (NYSE MKT: VRNG), a company engaged in the innovation, development and monetization of mobile technologies and intellectual property, today released the following statement:
"Vringo, Inc. (NYSE MKT: VRNG), a company engaged in the innovation, development and monetization of mobile technologies and intellectual property, today released the following statement:
This afternoon, Vringo's wholly-owned subsidiary, I/P Engine, Inc. received notice of an initial Office Action at the U.S. Patent Office ("USPTO") with respect to Google, Inc.'s Ex Parte request for Reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 6,314,420 (the "420 Patent").
I/P Engine acquired the 420 Patent from Lycos, Inc., and it is one of the two patents-in-suit in I/P Engine vs. AOL, Google et al.
Since the inception of the lawsuit, I/P Engine expected Google to seek reexamination because it is a standard and typical tactic used by defendants in patent litigation cases.
Today's action is an initial step in a process that ordinarily takes several years. It is not the USPTO's final action. At this point, the USPTO has only heard from Google. I/P Engine looks forward to sharing its input with the USPTO by November 25, 2012. I/P Engine believes that it will be successful in obtaining re-confirmation of the 420 Patent.
I/P Engine does not believe this will result in any delay of the trial, which remains scheduled to commence on October 16, 2012."
VHC has no prospects: Feb 2009 - typical basher!
VHC has no prospects: Feb 2009 - typical basher!
Chart from Feb 2009 till now: "VHC won't sign any licensing deals until the MSFT litigation is over and provided VHC wins. No one is going to pay VHC $$$ to license its patented technologies unless VHC can prove they can defend it and its worth something. All interested parties, understandably, will take a wait and see approach before committing its resources/payments. If MSFT wins, VHC will have next to nothing. If VHC wins....great....all shareholders should be very happy. But make no mistake; the company's entire future is more than likely riding on the outcome of the pending MSFT litigation."
Poster name is stock77investor
Chart from Feb 2009 till now: "VHC won't sign any licensing deals until the MSFT litigation is over and provided VHC wins. No one is going to pay VHC $$$ to license its patented technologies unless VHC can prove they can defend it and its worth something. All interested parties, understandably, will take a wait and see approach before committing its resources/payments. If MSFT wins, VHC will have next to nothing. If VHC wins....great....all shareholders should be very happy. But make no mistake; the company's entire future is more than likely riding on the outcome of the pending MSFT litigation."
Poster name is stock77investor
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
RF Micro Devices (RFMD) is supplying two RF switches for the iPhone 5, says Canaccord, after analyzing pictures from teardowns
RF Micro Devices (RFMD) is supplying two RF switches for the iPhone 5, says Canaccord, after analyzing pictures from teardowns. The firm now expects Samsung and Apple to be RFMD's top 2 customers by year's end - Nokia and RIM joined Samsung in the top 3 last year
Huawei Technologies, ZTE deny spying before US Congress
Huawei Technologies, ZTE deny spying before US Congress
WASHINGTON: Executives from China's top makers oftelecommunications gear denied putting hidden spy codeinto their equipment at a rare public hearing of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Thursday.
The officials from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTECorp, rejecting fears that their expansion in the United States poses a security risk, said they operated independently of the Chinese government.
The congressional panel is wrapping up a nearly year-long investigation into whether the companies' equipment provides an opportunity for greater foreign espionage and threatens critical US infrastructure. "We have heard reports about backdoors or unexplained beaconing from the equipment sold by both companies," Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, said in his opening statement.
The committee's report could be followed with proposed measures to exclude their products from the US market if they are determined to be security threats. The companies, for their part, say they are frustrated by the obstacles such allegations pose to their US business.
"Huawei has not and will not jeopardize our global commercial success nor the integrity of our customers'networks for any third party, government or otherwise," senior vice president Charles Ding said in written testimony. Huawei and ZTE are fighting an uphill battle for inroads into the United States, stymied by mounting government concerns about economic espionage attributed to Beijing.
US intelligence officials call China the world's most active perpetrator of economic espionage. The keyboard-launched theft of sensitive data has been speeding up, according to a report to Congress last October by the US National Counterintelligence Executive.
ZTE said US sales of infrastructure equipment in the United States accounted for less than $30 million in revenue last year, compared with a combined total of $14 billion by two Western competitors. Shenzhen, China-based Huawei, which is owned by its employees, is the world's second-biggest telecommunications gear maker after Sweden's Ericsson. ZTE ranks fifth.
REPORT COMING
Ding and Zhu Jinyun, ZTE's senior vice president for North America and Europe, under oath to the committee, denied putting any back-door channels into their equipment. Each further vowed that their companies never would bow to a hypothetical Chinese government request to exploit their products for espionage.
"What they have been calling back doors are actually software bugs," Zhu said through an interpreter. Such glitches are not unlike those that require regular software patches from companies like Microsoft, Google and Apple, he said.
The committee aims to wrap up its investigation by the first or second week of October, Rogers told reporters after the hearing. It plans to publish classified and unclassified versions of a final report that will shed more light on the security concerns, he said, adding that the panel has interviewed many companies. "Candidly, we have gotten very poor responses" to written requests for documents put to the companies in June, Rogers told reporters.
PARTY MEMBERSHIP
He and the committee's top Democrat, C.A. Ruppersberger of Maryland, have asked for details about the companies' links to Chinese authorities, their inner workings and pricing strategies for US customers among other things. "When they don't answer those, it just raises more suspicions," said Rogers, a former FBI agent.
Both Huawei's Ding and ZTE's Zhu agreed at the hearing to send their lists of Communist Party committee members, something the intelligence panel said they had previously declined to do. Ding complained that Huawei's business efforts in the United States had been hindered by "unsubstantiated, non-specific" security concerns.
ZTE Ericsson Patent Settlement Suit
Ericsson Patent Settlement Suit
The news comes soon after Ericsson announced that it is reorganizing the company's licensing department in an effort to make more money from its patents.
Ericsson aims to increase revenue from licensing its intellectual property portfolio beyond the 4.6 billion Swedish kronor (US$676 million) its patents generated for the company in 2010.
The company's IPR portfolio includes over 27,000 patents. Today, any vendor that wants to use cellular connectivity in its products needs a license from Ericsson, offered under so-called fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, which is what ZTE now has, it said.
ZTE representatives didn't reply to questions about the agreement.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Anti-Algorithm: Fuzz Enters Web Radio Market With Human DJs
The Anti-Algorithm: Fuzz Enters Web Radio Market With Human DJs
Nobody knows what Jeff Yasuda’s online music startup is up against better than Jeff Yasuda. The 40-year-old San Francisco entrepreneur has spent more than five years trying to crack the market and along the way has suffered through numerous fits and starts, pivots and iterations.
So as he unveils Internet radio service Fuzz.com to the public today, he’s prepared for the obvious question: Why does the world need yet another music site? There’s already Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, Slacker, Turntable.fm and Clear Channel’s IHeartRadio in the mix, not to mention all the players that have failed along the way.
“The space is crowded and the graveyard is long, deep and wide,” said Yasuda, from the basement of his Pacific Heights home, which doubles as Fuzz’s headquarters and includes a cozy, fully-equipped music studio.
He’s not deterred by the long odds and sees a big opportunity for his six-person shop to make a splash in the online music market, which Gartner predicts will reach $7.7 billion in 2015, up from $5.9 billion in 2010. The digital media shift is accelerating as the growth of smartphones and tablets offer ready access to music throughout the day. But making money has proven to be the big challenge, with bands remiss to just give their music away and consumers reluctant to pay.
Fuzz’s answer to that is “people-powered radio,” a nod to its 4,000 disc jockeys already building online stations and broadcasting them to their followers. Yasuda expects that number to expand rapidly now that the service is out of private beta. He’s raised $500,000 in angel funding to get the company on its feet.
Unlike Pandora, which uses complex algorithms to make suggestions to its 150 million-plus users, Fuzz lets listeners type in songs, artists or genres to find relevant stations that are run by human DJs. For example, if I wanted to hear Mumford & Sons, I could enter the band’s name in the search box and click on one of the stations featuring its songs. By launching that station, I would hear whatever the DJ serves up, with the idea that I’ll discover new music from someone with similar tastes.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Siri reporting wrong weather results, users say
Siri reporting wrong weather results, users say
Some iPhone users report having received wrong weather reports from Siri when they specify city names found in several states, according to the MacRumors Forums.
Some iPhone users report having received wrong weather reports from Siri when they specify city names found in several states, according to the MacRumors Forums.
"I live in New York and every time I ask it for the weather it gives me the forecast for New York, Texas," said one user complaining. Apple's own support board also includes a few posts on the matter. We've contacted Apple and will update the post when we hear back.
Last week Apple suffered a public relations embarrassment after users discovered glitches in the company's update to its iOS 6 mobile operating system, which was the first to include the company's mapping technology instead of Google's Maps app.
Google Stock Hits Record On Internet Ad Prospects
Google Stock Hits Record On Internet Ad Prospects
Google (GOOG) stock hit an all-time high Monday, as the search giant's traditional Web advertising business has regained favor on Wall Street.
Google shares were up nearly 2%, close to 748, in afternoon trading Monday. Earlier in the day, Google peaked at 748.90. Google had traded as low as 247.30 in November 2008 during the global recession. The stock has an IBD Relative Strength Rating of 83, putting it among the top 17% of all stocks in performance over the past 12 months.
Analysts pointed to the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's reliable and highly profitable search advertising business as a reason for the bullish sentiment. Google's business compares favorably to that of the new crop of social media firms, like Facebook(FB) and Groupon (GRPN), which have disappointed since going public, Reuters says.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Why Google Is RISING & Why It Will Have ZERO EFFECT On Vringo Case RE: Patents
Google (GOOG) recently boasted it now has 400M total Google+ users and 100M monthly active users (MAUs). But as Joe Wilcox notes, Google claimed in June Google+ had 250M total users and 150M MAUs. So how did MAUs decline even as total users jumped? It likely has something to do with the fact that Google could be counting any registered user who has seen a Google+ post or clicked on a +1 button as a "user." Facebook, for the record, had955M MAUs at the end of June.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Apple did not violate Samsung patents: judge rules
Apple did not violate Samsung patents: judge rules
Apple did not violate patents owned by Samsung Electronics in making the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, a judge at the International Trade Commission said in a preliminary ruling on Friday.
Apple and Samsung have taken their bruising patent disputes to some 10 countries as they vie for market share in the booming mobile industry. Apple won a landmark victory last month after a U.S. jury found the South Korean firm had copied key features of the iPhone and awarded Apple $1.05 billion (U.S.) in damages.
ITC Judge James Gildea said on Friday that Apple did not violate the four patents in the case. Samsung had accused Apple of infringement in a complaint filed in mid-2011. It asked for the infringing products to be banned from sale in the United States.
The full commission is due to decide whether to uphold or overturn its internal judge’s decision in January.
The patents in the complaint are related to 3G wireless technology, the format of data packets for high-speed transmission, and integrating functions like web surfing with mobile phone functions.
Apple has a parallel complaint filed against Samsung at the ITC, accusing Samsung, a major Apple chip provider as well as a global rival, of blatantly copying its hot-selling iPhones and iPads. The ITC judge’s preliminary decision is due in mid-October.
Samsung was the top-selling mobile-phone maker in the second quarter of 2012, with Apple in third place, according to data from Gartner Inc.
Samsung’s Galaxy touchscreen tablets are considered by many industry experts to be the main rival to the iPad, though they are currently a distant second to Apple’s devices.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Google Insider Sells
Insider sells
- Lawrence Page sold 27,778 shares on September 12, 27,778 shares on September 11 and 27,778 shares on September 10 via a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Lawrence Page currently holds 25,651,926 shares of the company. Lawrence Page is the CEO of the company.
- Nikesh Arora sold 1,218 shares on September 12 via a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Nikesh Arora serves as SVP and Chief Business Officer of the company.
- Patrick Pichette sold 1,964 shares on September 10. Patrick Pichette is SVP & Chief Financial Officer of the company.
- Kavitark Shriram sold 72,604 shares on September 7. Kavitark Shriram serves as a director of the company.
- Sergey Brin sold 83,334 shares on September 4. Sergey Brin is the Co-Founder of the company.
- John Doerr sold 12,285 shares on September 4. John Doerr serves as a director of the company.
- John Hennessy sold 74 shares on September 4. John Hennessy serves as a director of the company.
- Eric Schmidt sold 50,000 shares on August 29 and 103,193 shares on August 27-28. Eric Schmidt serves as Executive Chairman of Board.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Buy RFMD on iPhone5
Edward Snyder of Charter Equity Research said he sees RF Micro scoring the largest percentage gain with the release of the iPhone. The company has “seen such a rapid ramp at Apple and has tripled its content to $1.05 from about 30 cents in the iPhone 4S,” he wrote.
Acree also cited RF Micro, saying in a note, “We believe the company has a solid line-up of key marquee design wins that should provide strong growth in the December quarter, for both revenue and the firm’s share price, Apple’s iPhone 5 being at the top of this list.”
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
It’s Dark Inside Pandora’s Box
It’s Dark Inside Pandora’s Box
"Is there really any value in earning millions if the expenses are in billions? I guess not. Similar is the case of Pandora (NYSE: P), the online radio service provider, which recently came out with its fiscal 2013 second quarter results. The company surprised and shocked everyone at the same time as it reported stupendous growth in several business areas and yet reported a disappointing bottom line. Let’s take a look into Pandora’s latest quarter and then decide what’s in it for the investors."
"Is there really any value in earning millions if the expenses are in billions? I guess not. Similar is the case of Pandora (NYSE: P), the online radio service provider, which recently came out with its fiscal 2013 second quarter results. The company surprised and shocked everyone at the same time as it reported stupendous growth in several business areas and yet reported a disappointing bottom line. Let’s take a look into Pandora’s latest quarter and then decide what’s in it for the investors."
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Blame Apple For The San Francisco Apartment Bubble
Blame Apple For The San Francisco Apartment Bubble
After a three-year exile to the East Coast, I came back to San Francisco. What struck me more than the cold August fog was the vertiginous rise in rents. Small studios in crack addict-ridden parts of SOMA (South Of Market) typically go for $3,000 a month. If you are lucky enough to get it, that is. Tales of bidding wars for short-term rentals abound.
With a sense of ill-conceived pride, my San Franciscan friends confirmed that downtown San Francisco was now a more expansive place to live than Manhattan. For years, New York City was the only city that San Franciscans could not dismiss as a backward place for Fox TV-watching rednecks. Manhattanites could boast higher rents, more organic markets and trendier cafes.
How did San Francisco beat New York at its own game? A renting bubble is hard to understand. Housing bubbles arise when dumb bankers are willing to issue six-figure mortgages without asking questions and make home equity loans at inflated rates. In a renting bubble, however, renters still need to come up with the cash every month.
To explain the rise in rents, my friends pointed to the influx of start-ups in the Bay Area, from Zynga (ZNGA) to Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn (LNKD). I remained skeptical. Sure, start-up engineers make very good money these days, but there are not enough of them to justify a city-wide bubble of these proportions. Sure, a few made it big during the Facebook IPO, but the stock now looks more like the Titanic than like Google(GOOG) and most of its float is locked in the hands of its founders and early investors.
My understanding is that these brand new condos are mostly-populated by 20-something college grads occupying entry-level positions in the traditional economy like marketing, sales or education. How can they come up with $36,000 in annual rent, not mentioning student loan payments and $10 a day for lattes and Jamba Juice?
Monday, September 3, 2012
Bruce Willis not taking on Apple over iTunes
Bruce Willis not taking on Apple over iTunes
"Reports that veteran Hollywood actor Bruce Willis is reportedly looking to take on Apple in a bid to pass on his vast music collection to his children after his death have been disputed. The claims, which were originally reported by The Daily Mail have been debunked by Willis' wife via Twitter.
"Reports that veteran Hollywood actor Bruce Willis is reportedly looking to take on Apple in a bid to pass on his vast music collection to his children after his death have been disputed. The claims, which were originally reported by The Daily Mail have been debunked by Willis' wife via Twitter.
Emma Hemming has taken to Twitter to pour cold water on the claims made by British media earlier today that her husband Bruce Willis was considering legal action against Apple over the rights to his iTunes account after his death. She said in a tweet that the report made by the Daily Mail is "not a true story."
The "Die Hard" star, in between escaping from terrorist captors and blowing things up, has spent thousands on his iTunes collection across a number of iPods and wants to leave it to his children in the event of his death.
Willis was reportedly concerned that the rights to his music collection will be passed back to Apple, entitling his children to nothing. It may have been falsely reported that the actor was looking to set up trusts to act as legal "holders" of the music.
When you download a music track from the iTunes Store, you are in effect renting that contentindefinitely under license. It's not just Apple, however. Retail giant Amazon applies similar terms to its music and e-book store offerings."
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