Facebook and Timelines Inc. have reached a settlement in the trademark case against the social network, according to a document Facebook filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Timelines Inc. operates Timelines.com, a website for people to create and collaborate on historical timelines. The company sued Facebook in September 2011 after it debuted an overhauled profile page it called “timeline.” Timelines Inc. has registered trademarks for “Timelines,” “Timelines.com” and its “Timelines” logo.

Facebook had asserted that its use of “timeline” was generic and qualified as “fair use.” Facebook requested a summary judgment to prevent the case from going to trial, but the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied the motion. The case was set to go to trial last week, but then delayed without explanation.

It seems the companies worked out a settlement agreement in the meantime. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, apart from the following in Facebook’s 10-Q quarterly report:

“We are also party to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business. Among these legal matters, in two cases, Summit 6 LLC v. Research in Motion Corporation et al., and Timelines, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc., we have reached agreements to settle the matters. The cost of settlement in each case, which is included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2013, was not material to our business, financial condition, or results of operations.”

Through the lawsuit, Timelines Inc. sought to prevent Facebook from continuing to use the term and to receive compensation equivalent to Facebook’s ad revenue generated on Timeline pages. However, it is unlikely the settlement was close to that range. It also seems Facebook will be allowed to continue to use the “timeline” name for its profile product.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment. We’ve reached out to Timelines Inc. for comment, but have not yet gotten a reply.

Article courtesy of Inside Facebook

Facebook and Timelines Inc. begin trial today in a case over the social network’s “timeline” profile feature, which Timelines says infringes on its trademark over the word “Timelines.”

Timelines Inc. operates Timelines.com, a website for people to create and collaborate on historical timelines. The company sued Facebook in September 2011 after it debuted an overhauled profile page it called “timeline.” Timelines Inc. has registered trademarks for “Timelines,” “Timelines.com” and its “Timelines” logo. The company is seeking damages “equivalent to Facebook’s Timeline-derived ad revenue,” according to Bloomberg.

Facebook asserted that its use of “timeline” was generic and it requested a summary judgment to prevent the case from going to trial. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied Facebook’s motion, and now the companies will face a jury.

Here’s a breakdown of Timelines’ and Facebook’s arguments. Note that the case is over the use of the word “timeline,” not the design or functionality of Facebook’s profile.

It isn’t necessarily easy to attract international visitors to the cold reaches of Northern Finland. But despite any geographical challenges, members of Oulu’s Starttaamo hub have managed to attract more than €10 million in angel and VC investment over the past two years — from Finnish and international investors.

Add in government support, subsidies and initial capital, and the total funding stands between €20 million and €25 million, says Teemu Polo, one of the not-for-profit hub’s founders and members of the board.

The organisation has not disclosed which (or how many) of its members account for the €20m to €25m — so it’s a little hard to quantify how well its startups are doing — but it does say it has around 50 members at present (individuals can also sign up as members to get a reduced membership rate). Among Starttaamo’s current roster of members are Bitbar, Brightsign, Fantastec, InterestID, Soljuva, Valkee, WeTell Networks and W-Secure, to name a few.

For some context on the Finnish investment landscape, Polo says the Finnish VC Association puts the official figure for Finnish VC investments at €59.5 million in 2011, and €34.8 million for the first half of 2012. So €20m to €25m for one startup hub ain’t bad.

Starttaamo, which translates from the Finnish as ‘a place to start up’, was founded in 2011 by Polo and some fellow startup “activists”, Polo having ran a “discussion club for startup and Internet services people” prior to that. Members get to use/hang out in a shared co-working space, though not all its members are based there all the time. The hub also organizes events and networking opportunities, and offers a mentoring program.

“Oulu city wants to be the capital of Northern Scandinavia… and Starttaamo has sort of copied the same idea: we want to be the startup hub of the Northern Scandinavia,” Polo tells TechCrunch. ”It has proven fairly difficult for the government authorities to invite VCs here… It has been maybe a lot easier for us to convince the guys to come over.”

“There’s some good cities [in the region] and of course there’s good thoughts. It’s not anything that only big cities or vibrant ecosystems would have bright people. There’s bright people all around and they might have all good ideas but it’s the connections in the end that matter — how you can get feedback from VCs, from accelerators, from coaches and so forth. And you need the ecosystem and you need the mass to attract those opinion leaders here and that’s what we try to fill in,” he adds.

Oulu has its fair share of mobility-related and gaming startups, says Polo. Health and wellness is another focus for the area, which also has expertise in mass production. “Printed electronics is something that is being heavily invested in by the local city,” he says.

Oulu was in the news earlier this week when Nokia divested itself of another Finnish asset – selling its Peltola campus in the city to a domestic business space provider, with an agreement to lease back around half the space, leaving space for local startups to colonise.

Despite its own present difficulties, Nokia’s influence is never far from the Finnish startup scene. Multiple Starttaamo members have a Nokia background, says Polo — himself a 12-year Nokia veteran who left the company when it was still riding (relatively) high, back in 2009, to pursue startup ambitions. Many of those leaving Nokia’s fold to set up a business have benefited from grants via the Nokia Bridge program — which gives grants of up to €150,000, and can also help with follow on loans.

But Nokia is evidently giving back more to Finland’s startup ecosystem than merely money: namely talent, experience, connections and expertise. Part of what makes Oulu a good base for startups is its proximity to former Nokia talent, says Polo. “We do have a lot of this mobile background and a lot of good specialists from Nokia and the good thing about these guys is they are accustomed to do big things,” says Polo.

“What’s unique about Nokia — there’s a lot of guys who have done international business in large scale, in different cultures and so forth thanks to Nokia. And also there’s a lot of nice connections that people have — for example telecom operators, OEMs, these sort of businesses… Now we just have to take those resources into use,” he adds.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

We had a blast, Detroit. Thanks for having us.

On a brisk November night the city of Detroit — no, the entire Detroit region — turned out for our first Meetup in the Motor City. We took over all four floors of Hockeytown Cafe. The crowd was as eclectic as the area: app builders, makers, curious onlookers, seasoned entrepreneurs, and a surprising amount of venture capitalists, who are seemingly hungry to find (and fund) Detroit’s savior.

We spent just two days in Michigan. We meet with close to 50 companies/entrepreneurs at office hours held in Detroit and Ann Arbor. It’s very clear that there’s something special happening in the area. Compared to other cities, the VC money seems to flow a bit easier with better terms and the talent pool is incredible. Plus, you can essentially buy a skyscraper with lunch money.

The area’s goal seems to be retention. Michigan’s universities churn out hardworking talent at a rapid pace — and then people leave the state. University of Michigan is right down the road from Detroit; Michigan State is a bit farther to the north. There’s Wayne State, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, and the amazing Kettering University in Flint, MI. Just holding onto 5% of this talent base would do wonders for Detroit and Michigan as a whole.

This meetup was personal for me. I live in Michigan. Born, raised, and still residing just outside the city Flint, MI, I understand the pains of Michigan. But I also understand its many strengths. It was important to me to bring the scattered, often-beaten tech community under one roof, even if just for one night.

That’s the goal of all of our meetups from the tiny (but awesome) Greenville, SC meetup to the 1,200 people who turned out for Atlanta. There isn’t another tech event like a TechCrunch Meetup and Detroit made me proud to be a Michigander.

We’re wrapping our Northern tour tonight in Chicago. Come on out, talk startups, and have a great time.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Our first stop for our Northern meetup series was Toronto and it was an absolute blast! Almost 1,000 hungry and thirsty techies poured into the Steam Whistle Brewery to hang out, drink, eat, mingle, meet and talk with us. It was an amazing time and we hope to go back very soon. Thanks again, Toronto, for having us.

John Biggs, Matt Burns, Darrell Etherington, Romain Dillet, Jordan Crook, Colleen Taylor and I have just arrived in Detroit, Michigan and we are getting ready to host our next meetup here tonight at the Hockeytown Cafe. Since we had so much fun and such a great turnout in Toronto the night before last, we wanted to release more tickets for our next two meetups.

If you’re either in the Detroit area, or Chicago area, come hang out with us. It’s free, and based on Toronto, we know you will meet some incredibly brilliant people. Act quickly though, these tickets will go fast. Tickets for our Detroit Meetup tonight can be found here. Tickets for our Chicago Meetup this Friday can be found here.

We’ll keep everyone who can’t make it updated by posting pictures and stories of who we meet and what we see along the way. I will say, we already have some pretty funny behind the scenes ones.

Click to view slideshow.

More photos here.

Also, be sure to check out Darrell, our very own fellow Canadian’s, thank you post.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Chicago: Home of Groupon, the White Sox and a massive, odd silver bean thing. But soon, specifically on November 9th, Chicago will play host to a TechCrunch meetup. As the last stop on TechCrunch’s Northern Meetup Tour, we’re very excited to conclude with a Friday night party in the Windy City. Admission and booze are free. Come on out to the Zhou B Art Center and talk tech and startups with TechCrunch!

As part of our Northern Meetup Tour, during which we’ll hit up Toronto, Chicago, and of course Detroit, we’re on the hunt for the latest and greatest startups, the coolest investors, and the best possible conversation we can have. Tickets sold out quickly for Toronto and there are only a few left for Detroit. RSVP as soon as possible for Chicago.

Prior to the meetup, we are holding office hours with local startups and entrepreneurs. Look for the registration next week.

We’re still looking for sponsors for this meetup and also upcoming ones in Detroit and Toronto. If you’d like to sponsor one or all of these fantastic gatherings, or know someone that should, shoot a message to our amazing sponsorship team here. For general meetup questions, please email our awesome events team here.

RSVP now!

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

The Northern District Court of California has overturned a sales ban against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 won by Apple in patent litigation against Samsung, Reuters is reporting.

This follows a ruling at the end of last month by the  U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh could decide whether or not to lift the ban on U.S. sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet. Koh had previously refused to rule on the matter.

“We are pleased with the court’s action today, which vindicates our position that there was no infringement of Apple’s design patent and that an injunction was not called for,” Samsung is reported as saying in a statement.

We’ve contacted Apple and Samsung for further comment and will update with any response. Samsung provided the following statement: “On September 28, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit made a ruling, permitting the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to consider our request to lift the preliminary injunction on the GALAXY Tab 10.1. We will continue to take all appropriate measures to ensure the availability of our innovative products.”

Apple filed for a preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet back in May ahead of the trial. In the U.S. the dispute focuses on the iPad D’889 design patent — Apple’s trade dress — but the jury in the Apple vs Samsung trial subsequently decided Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 had not infringed this design patent, effectively invalidating the earlier ruling banning U.S. sales.

However it’s not necessary the end of the road for the Tab 10.1 design disputes — FOSS Patents’ Florian Mueller notes that after a hearing scheduled for early December Apple can still win a permanent injunction against Samsung’s slate “over the D’889 tablet design patent if it prevails on the related part of its Rule 50 (“overrule-the-jury”) motion”.

Apple won an E.U.-wide preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 last year – although this was subsequently lifted in all countries except Germany, where the sales ban was granted. The dispute over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the E.U. rested on Apple’s Community Design 000181607 for the iPad.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

When SendmyBag founder and CEO Adam Ewart stepped into the Dragon’s Den on last night’s episode of the UK television show asking for a £100k investment in return for 5% equity, valuing the startup at £2 million, he was promptly sent with his bag’s packing.

Oh, this is going to get juicy real quick.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup is demanding the names of any writers who have a paid relationship with Oracle or Google.

The demand came today in the ongoing lawsuit between the two companies in their dispute over the Android OS.

Alsup wrote he is concerned that the parties and/or their lawyers may have hired or paid journalists, commentators or bloggers who then commented on the case. The order was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Alsup writes:

“Although proceedings in this matter are almost over, they are not fully over yet and, in any event, the disclosure required by this order would be of use on appeal or on any remand to make clear whether any treatise, article, commentary or analysis on the issues posed by this case are possibly influenced by financial relationships.”

Oracle and Google must turn over the names by August 17.

The controversy is enveloping Florian Mueller, one of the more incendiary bloggers on the topic of open source and patent law. Mueller has been covering the trial. He recently stated that Oracle is paying him as a consultant. His posts, surprise, have been very much in favor of Oracle’s arguments.

Mueller had this exchange today with well-known court reporter Ginny LaRoe:

The Oracle-Google trial has been a contentious one.Thankfully, though, Oracle lost to Google in its fight to copyright APIs.

Soon we will see who really does write for these two giants. My bet: the Oracle list will be far longer than the one Google presents to the court. And I expect we will see names of analysts among those on the payroll – especially from the larger firms.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch

Jury selection is starting today for the patent trial between Apple and Samsung that has already resulted in the release of tons of early Apple iPhone and iPad prototypes designs. But one design holds particular interest: an iPhone concept called “Purple.” The phone isn’t actually purple (it’s white), but the big news is not the color – it’s the date of the creation. To counter Samsung’s charge that Apple copied Sony’s smartphone and Walkman designs when it created the iPhone, Apple filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California which shows the Purple concept was from 2005 – before Sony’s Nishibori Design, developed in March 2006.

Samsung had pulled Sony’s designs into the case, as an effort to discredit Apple and show that it copied designs from elsewhere in the creation of the iPhone.

News of the Purple concept was first reported by The Verge, which referred to documents from Apple which called the Sony-style touches “an ‘enjoyable’ side project,’” but one that was done on top of original concept designs. Apple then asked the court to exclude Samsung’s evidence, showing that Apple’s designs were Sony-inspired.

Apple requests that the Court enforce Judge Grewal’s Order by excluding evidence that Apple’s designs were derived from Sony’s design language, from Mr. Nishibori’s exercise in applying Sony-style design details to the iPhone, or from Sony handsets of the time. Because this evidence is not admissible to prove the invalidity of Apple’s patents, it should not come in for any purpose.”

Although Apple is not enjoying having to release so many of its prototype designs in such a public forum, revealing the “Purple” concept worked. According The Verge’s updated report, Judge Lucy Koh says now that Samsung will not be allowed to show evidence during the trial regarding the Sony-inspired designs for the iPhone.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch