Judge accuses Apple, Google of using courts as ‘business strategy’ instead of settling

Apple and Google-owned Motorola aren’t showing any signs of interest in actually settling their patent disputes, said one federal judge in Florida. Instead, the two firms are more interested in using the courts as a business strategy.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola said in Miami on Thursday that the two firms are abusing the court system with their increasingly complex patent case, according to Bloomberg. The patent struggle between Apple and Motorola involves more than 180 claims related to 12 patents, as well as the meaning of more than 100 terms.

Each party has accused the other of infringing on patents related to wireless technologies. The initial suit was filed in 2010, but it has since grown.

“The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute,” Scola said in an order dated Wednesday, “they instead are using this and similar litigation worldwide as a business strategy that appears to have no end. This is not a proper use of this court.”

Apple pulls hypocritical ‘apology’ to Samsung, replaces it with matter-of-fact statement

Yesterday, we heard about the dumbfounded reaction of the U.K. Court of Appeal in London after it learned Apple hypocritically paid lip service instead of posting the matter-of-fact note required to inform the public about the court’s decision that Samsung with its tablets did not infringe on Apple patents.

Judge Robin Jacob was “at a loss” seeing a company the magnitude of Apple breach order.

Google Chairman on Apple patents: ‘there are plenty of prior arts’ and patents shouldn’t be used to block sales

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is making his way around Asia, and he expanded on remarks made yesterday in Tokyo at the Korean launch of the Nexus 7 today.

Schmidt said Apple “is actually a very good partner. Our two companies are literally talking all the time about everything.” However, he added, “With respect to Apple patents, the best thing we can tell there are plenty of prior arts and I don’t want to go beyond that…”