February 2013

US District Judge Lucy H. Koh in San Jose (CA) told Apple and Samsung lawyers that they must “focus and streamline” their cases to 25 patent claims, or elements of the patents at issue, and 25 accused products.

Judge Koh made the request from the bench in the latest of two related patent cases. The lawsuit was filed last year and covers technology in newer smartphones made by both companies, including Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Apple’s iPhone 5. “We’ll keep narrowing and narrowing,” Judge Koh said. “You’ve already been litigating this thing for a year; you must know something about what’s your best case.”

There is really just one word to describe the Big Four’s collective ratings this winter: bad.

After a so-so fall, new shows are putting up historically low numbers at midseason. Veteran shows are sliding to series lows. And the networks produced one of their worst collective showings in February sweeps history last week, the week ended Feb. 17, with only one network drawing better than a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. That was Fox, which earned its first weekly win of the sweeps with a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating and 6 share. CBS was second with a 1.9/5, followed by ABC in third with a 1.8/5, Univision fourth with a 1.5/4 and NBC fifth with a 1.3/4. The Big Four networks averaged a 7.1 rating all together for the week. By comparison, last year those four combined for a 9.3 during the same week. These struggles may be more a reflection on the medium itself than anything the networks are doing. DVR viewership continues to climb, meaning that the live-plus-same-day-DVR-playback ratings that the weekly ratings performances are based on are dropping. Cable has put up a stiff challenge to broadcast this winter, with AMC’s “The Walking Dead” drawing stronger numbers among adults 18-49 than any Big Four show. And the era of must-see events on broadcast is largely over. Though a handful of specials such as the Super Bowl, the Grammys and the Oscars are capable of drawing huge audiences, only a few shows can muster more than 20 million viewers a week anymore. There are just too many other media choices vying for viewers’ attention, which means the low ratings aren’t just some one-week or one-month fluke.

North Korea will soon allow foreigners to tweet, Skype and surf the Internet from their cellphones, iPads and other mobile devices in its second relaxation of controls on communications in recent weeks. However, North Korean citizens will not have access to the mobile Internet service to be offered by provider Koryolink within the next week.

Koryolink, a joint venture between Korea Post & Telecommunications Corporation and Egypt's Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding SAE, informed foreign residents in Pyongyang that it will launch a third generation, or 3G, mobile Internet service no later than March 1. The announcement comes just weeks after North Korea began allowing foreigners to bring their own cellphones into the country to use with Koryolink SIM cards, reversing a longstanding rule requiring most visitors to relinquish their phones at customs and leaving many without easy means of communication with the outside world. The two changes in policy mean foreigners in North Korea will have unprecedented connectivity while living, working or traveling in a country long regarded as one of the most isolated nations in the world. However, wireless Internet will not yet be offered to North Koreans, who are governed by a separate set of telecommunication rules from foreigners.

Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Vodafone Group, left the door open to the possibility of a near-term deal that would change the ownership of one of the world's most closely watched business partnerships: mobile-phone giant Verizon Wireless.

Asked in an interview whether the ownership of U.S.-based Verizon Wireless—which is held 55% by Verizon Communications and 45% by Vodafone—will be the same in a year's time, Colao said "I don't know," adding that Vodafone has an open mind "on everything." Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam said last month that he would "love" to take full control of the joint venture, which has grown into the biggest wireless operator in the U.S. by customers. He also added that Verizon has the financial resources to pull off the long-anticipated transaction. His comments, while echoing prior statements from Verizon executives, stoked speculation that a deal, which might rank among the biggest ever, could be in the offing. In a sign that Verizon Communications officials are considering such a deal, a person close to the company recently said that it would likely be financed with a combination of cash and stock, with the company confident it could borrow some $50 billion to $60 billion.