Lenovo Asked to Pay $138.7 Million for InterDigital Patents by London Court

China's Lenovo Group must pay US technology firm InterDigital $138.7 million (nearly Rs. 1,150 crore) for a licence for its portfolio of telecommunications patents, London's High Court ruled on Thursday in the latest round of a long-running dispute.

InterDigital brought the lawsuit against Lenovo in 2019 over the terms on which Lenovo should take a licence of its patents which are essential to 3G, 4G and 5G standards.

The litigation, which has so far featured five separate trials, centres on the fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms of a licence for InterDigital's patents.

Judge James Mellor said in a written ruling on Thursday that previous offers made by both Lenovo and InterDigital – which had offered $337 million (nearly Rs. 3,000) for a six-year licence – were not made on FRAND terms.

He said Lenovo should pay a $138.7 million "lump sum" to cover past and future sales of mobile devices from 2007 until the end of 2023.

Lenovo described the ruling as "a major win for the technology industry and the customers we serve".

John Mulgrew, Lenovo's chief intellectual property officer, said in a statement the decision "reinforces FRAND's critical role in facilitating transparent and equitable licensing practices for standardized technologies".

InterDigital's Chief Legal Officer Josh Schmidt welcomed what he said was the ruling's recognition that "a licensee should pay in full for the past infringement of standard essential patents".

However, he said in a statement: "We plan to appeal, as we believe that certain aspects of the decision do not accurately reflect our licensing program."

London-based patent lawyer Mark Marfe, who was not involved in the case, said the decision reinforced the High Court's willingness to grant a global FRAND licence.

China is the only other jurisdiction where courts have set global FRAND rates for so-called standard essential patents.

Marfe added that "all eyes will be on the Unified Patent Court", a common patent court for European Union member states which opens in June, to see whether it takes a similar approach.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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'Twitter foreign entity, can’t seek protection under Article 19'

US-based microblogging platform Twitter Inc cannot seek protection under Article 19 of the Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and expression to Indian citizens and entities, not to foreigners, the central government said Thursday in the Karnataka high court.

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US Lawmaker Wants TikTok CEO to Detail Actions to Protect Kids

The chair of a US House of Representatives panel wants TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to address questions next week about the popular Chinese-owned video app's efforts to protect children from inappropriate content and potential exploitation.

Chew will be appearing for the first time before Congress when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.

Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, said Thursday lawmakers "need to know what actions the company is taking to keep our kids safe from online and offline harms."

McMorris Rodgers and other Republicans in December wrote TikTok saying said "many children are exposed to non-stop offerings of inappropriate content that TikTok's algorithm force-feeds to them." They also raised concerns that TikTok livestreamed events allow adult TikTok users to offer monetary rewards to "persuade children to perform sexually suggestive acts."

TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, said the Biden administration had threatened to ban the app in the United States if its Chinese owners did not sell their stakes in the company.

"Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardized and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok's relationship with China," she added. The US government has raised concerns that TikTok's user data could be passed on to China's government.

TikTok, which did not immediately comment, said earlier this month it is developing a tool that will allow parents to prevent their teens from viewing content containing certain words or hashtags on the short-form video app.

TikTok announced new features to help users limit the amount of time spent on the app. Accounts belonging to users under 18 will automatically have a time limit of one hour per day, and teens will need to enter a passcode to continue using the app.

TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating for more than two years on data security requirements. TikTok said it has spent more than $1.5 billion (nearly Rs. 12,400 crore) on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations.

The Biden administration demand for divestiture was the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by US officials and legislators.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to Step Down After His Tenure of 16 Years

Amazon.com-owned Twitch's Emmett Shear will step down as chief executive officer after over 16 years at the live video streaming platform that he co-founded, he said on Thursday.

President Dan Clancy, who has been at Twitch since 2019, will take on the role of CEO effective immediately, Shear said in a blog post, adding that he will remain on as an advisor.

Twitch, which has seen online celebrities like Tyler "Ninja" earn millions of dollars playing games and chatting with fans, has come under fire in recent months over reducing the amount of money its biggest streamers could earn from subscriptions, which earlier amounted to as much as 70 percent of revenue from fans' subscriptions to their channels.

The company's chief of global creators, Constance Knight, also left the firm last year, according to media reports.

Then, in September, the company tweaked the policy and announced it would allow its biggest creators to retain their 70 percent of the revenue share for the first $100,000 (nearly Rs. 82 lakh) earned and then split to the standard 50 percent share.

"In October 2006 we started working on live video for the internet. That became Twitch. More than 16 years later, I'm now a father and ready to move to my next phase of life," Shear tweeted on Thursday.

Shear co-founded live streaming platform Justin.tv which became Twitch in 2011 and quickly gained traction in the gaming community as it let viewers message players and each other during live play.

Three years later, it was acquired by Amazon for just under $1 billion (nearly Rs. 8,300 crore).

Incoming top boss Clancy held senior roles at US space agency NASA, Nextdoor and Google prior to joining Twitch.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Lamborghini Plans to Deploy Hybrid Technology Models in India by 2024-End

Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini plans to deploy hybrid technology in its models in India by the end of 2024 as the Italian super sports car maker aims to halve the emissions from its cars in the coming years, according to a top company executive.

The niche player also expressed confidence that the country's taxation policy remains consistent though any tax reductions will be welcome.

The company currently sells three models — premium SUV Urus and two super sports cars Huracan Tecnica and Aventador in the country, with prices starting upwards of Rs. 3 crore.

"The roadmap for us is that by the end of 2024 we are going to hybridise our entire model range. So this year we will have a first hybrid, the new V12, then in 2024 we will have the Urus hybrid and also a new V10 which is also going to be a hybrid," Lamborghini India Head Sharad Agarwal told PTI.

In 2028, the company plans to bring in a fourth model globally which is going to be the fully electric model, he added.

"The idea is to reduce 50 percent of the emissions from our cars by 2025," Agarwal said.

The company will bring in the upgraded models globally and then introduce them in the Indian market as well.

Lamborghini began its India operations in 2007. Last year, it sold 92 units in India, a growth of 33 percent over 69 units in 2021.

When asked if the high rate of taxation on imported cars is affecting the growth of the luxury car segment in India, Agarwal said: "Today, the market is aligned to the current tax structure that we have..who would not like to have lesser duties..but that is not the priority from our end..." Further, he said, "Last 5-6 years, we have seen that there is a constant tax regime from the government and we would always request in maintaining this consistency. Once the segment is aligned with the structure let the segment grow." He stated that the government should maintain the consistency in the policy.

"We are not asking to reduce it (tax) but if it comes down who will say no to it," Agarwal said.

Lamborghini imports its entire model range to India.

Currently, imported as CBUs (Completely Built Units) with CIF of more than USD 40,000 or with engine capacity of more than 3,000cc for petrol-run vehicles and more than 2,500cc for diesel-run vehicles attract 100 percent customs duty.

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The Great Indian Laughter Challenge fame Khyali booked for rape

Popular comedian Khyali Saharan has been accused of raping a 25-year-old woman in a hotel room in Jaipur. The woman filed a complaint and a case being registered against the comedian at Mansarovar police station on Tuesday.

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Woman ‘kills’ mom, hides chopped body parts; held

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