back to article Apple accused of extortion by rival tablet biz

Tablet maker Nuevas Tecnologías y Energías Catalá, the company behind one of Apple's rare court defeats, is now taking the fruity tech titan to court for extortion. Apple alleged that the teeny-tiny company's tablet, sold in Spain under the NT-K brand, was a forged iPad, and on that basis convinced custom officials to impound …

COMMENTS

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  1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Unhappy Is there no limit to superman Muller's capabilities? P.S. Where is the puke icon when you need it?
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      > Is there no limit to superman Muller's capabilities?

      His only weakness is his inability to shut the fuck up.
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Muller's record not that good

      Only two goals for his current side in 41 appearances - according to wikipedia
  2. Vic

    Why are you citing Florian Mueller?

    Look at his record of pronouncements. He has been *almost* universally wrong. He is a paid shill. It is safer, these days, to presume that, if Florian says something will happen, the alternative will actually play out. Vic.
    1. Vic
      Hmmm. What happened to the line breaks? The forum upgrade isn't all that seamless, chaps... Vic.
      1. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge
        pah! <br/> *real* men _don't_ use line breaks
        1. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
          Joke *real* men do use line breaks, but only because Chuck Norris allows them to use line breaks.
          1. Goat Jam
            Coat

            While we are bandying about tired Internet memes

            I used to use line breaks and then I took an arrow to the knee . . . .

    2. The BigYin

      A shill....

      ...for whom? He's anti-software patents it seems, so he can't be a shill for MS or Apple. Can you cite a source, please.?
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Anti-software patents

        Strange how he always seems to be on the side of the fence for the software patent "abuser" then isn't it. FM is a FUD blogger - how much exactly and all the parties is not known, only some of them are.
        1. The BigYin

          @AC at 13:45

          "Strange how he always seems to be on the side of the fence for the software patent "abuser" then isn't it." On the fence? Can you cite, please? "FM is a FUD blogger - how much exactly and all the parties is not known, only some of them are. " Well, can you please cite what is known? I've barely heard of the guy, checking Wikipedia shouws he admitted to an MS study in Oct 2011, that's it. And thanks (whomever) for the downvote it was a genuine question.
  3. CABVolunteer
    Flame

    Wikipedia & Mueller

    Sorry to keep on with the Florian Mueller bashing, but I was under the impression that all of Mueller's litigation expertise came from Wikipedia. After all, his pronouncements on legal issues have proved to be wrong depressingly often. I agree with Vic - Mueller is not a reliable source.
  4. samster
    Thumb Down

    Why is el Reg still citing Florian Mueller?

    The guy has been found out previously, he's not reliable and is partisan towards his paymasters.
  5. Gio Ciampa

    Quoting Florian doesn't have to be inevitable...

    After all - if Rory Cellan-Jones can manage to write a piece for Auntie without mentioning Apple once (the blue moon was yesterday, for the record) - then surely... just once... El Reg can match this feat?
  6. g e

    So, anyway, Florian Mueller aside...

    If Apple's action cost the company then surely as part of the process of success the affected company should be able to claim costs & damages from the claimant, incurred during defence of their side of the case, which you'd hope, included financial loss incurred via any penalties wrongly imposed based on the outcome of the case. Plus interest, plus a fair assessment of lost additional revenue had the penalties not been sanctioned. Hope being the key stumbling block, of course...
    1. David Hicks
      Meh

      -1, not enough Florian rage

      Not only should they be able to claim actual damages, but it's about damn time that someone gave apple a good whipping for claiming ownership of the rounded rectangle. The iPad is an extremely innovative product, but only because someone finally managed to cram all the bits in for the light, flat, futuristic, sci-fi computer pad thingy that we all though was cool when we first saw its like on the telly 20 years ago. It's not like the whole idea was revolutionary, and they surely shouldn't be able to stop others from making similar things.
      1. The BigYin

        I thought...

        ...the Aussies had already given Apple a boot to the conkers?
      2. nichomach
        Happy

        @David Hicks

        Can only upvote you once, I'm afraid, but I couldn't agree more.
    2. CABVolunteer

      @ ge

      Not only should Apple have to pay to make the injured party whole, as you've suggested, but Apple should *also* lose all the benefits they have gained from excluding a competitor from the market place ("unjust enrichment").

  7. Aitor 1
    Humm, I will try to read it, as I am spanish and have knowledge of laws.. but I will really have to red it in detail.. both the "denuncia" and the law.
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "was a forged iPad"

    Forged? So it was an almost-exact copy, including branding, with intent to deceive?
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Forged?

      perhaps they meant made of metal by men with hammers?
  9. min

    @ Aotor 1

    ...ok, Aitor my man. you've had ten minutes. what's your pronouncement? if i am sure of one thing, it'll be that your views will be of more use to us (even after 10 minutes of skipping through) than Mr. Muller's law-LITE pronouncements.
  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Are not most Apple court cases just anti-brand marketing?

    Most of these have been fairly ludicrous so is it not true that they simply do it as a form of brand marketing. Mud sticks and Apple seem to be the limbo dancers of morality.
  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward The problem with Florian Mueller seems to be that he has an understanding of the law and doesn't automatically side with Google on everything because of that. This causes RAGE with the Googletards that plague el Reg who have always had a problem dealing with facts.
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      As the proverb says

      "A little learning is a dangerous thing" Is Muller like Peter Hitchens - paid to have an opinion that chimes with the core readership but just ends being offensive or unpleasant to the rest?
    2. CABVolunteer

      Say what?

      "The problem with Florian Mueller seems to be that he has an understanding of the law"

      You really want to get flamed? Go to a forum where the nuances of law and litigation are discussed and make that statement again.

      You're trolling aren't you?

    3. Toothpick

      What the hell ....

      ... is a Googletard ?

  12. Alan Denman

    Muller ignores the spice

    What is obvious about these shrills is that they obscure the comedic nature of these patents

    .

    Paid shrill comes to mind when one looks beneath the patent surface and sees a plot suitable for a Black Adder sketch.

  13. Armando 123
    Flame

    Excuse me?

    "who fortunately speaks Spanish as well as understanding court procedures"

    If he speaks Spanish as well as he understands court procedures, he must translate all sentences to "I will not buy this record, it is scratched."

  14. All names Taken

    The answer is easy-peasy no?

    Apple buy the problem, it is less expensive that courting justice with greater predictability and swifter to due process yes?

  15. Bill Fresher

    Strange

    How strange... I took at look at their website and the NK-T pads look about as different from an iPad as possible for a tablet computer. Especially the MASSIVE shoe-box sized one.

    1. mhenriday
      Meh

      Agree with you, Bill, BUT

      one must keep in mind that Apple has designed-registered and patent-protected all the Platonic solids, in particular flattish ones with rounded corners. So no matter what those chaps in Catalonia may think, say, or do, they're clearly in the wrong....

      Henri

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe Apple should plead insanity?

    "(A)ggressive enforcement activities" are not, in themselves, a crime (and AFAIK nobody is saying they are.) But, if the motivation behind them is to pressure someone into giving up the income from a legal activity, couldn't they still form part of a crime? It's unlikely Apple ever believed these machines were being passed off as iPads, so what they are objecting to is someone selling a *substitute* for an iPad. I think that's called 'competition'. Perhaps the case hinges on whether Apple *genuinely* believe that competing with Apple is a criminal offence?

    1. Alien8n
      Alien

      It's only a fake iPad in the same way the Galaxy Tab is a fake iPad. In look and feel the nearest you can get to calling it a fake iPad is that it has icons and apps, but that's because it's Android based. No different to every other tablet maker that's been sued by Apple.

  17. Wallyb132
    FAIL

    Give up profits + lost revenue x3

    Apple Should have to give up the profits it made from selling its competing products during the period that the ipad ripoffs were being detained x3 and also should be liable for paying NT-K for all lost revenue past, present and future as a result of this little legal shanghai x3.

    If the courts started handing out judgements along those lines Apple might rethink its actions before dragging companies in to court.

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