苹果专利战的下一个敌人：谷歌

Apple Inc. is flexing its legal muscle more squarely at Google Inc. in another patent fight against Samsung Electronics Co.

在与三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co.)的另一场专利战中，苹果公司(Apple Inc.)将矛头更加直接地对准了谷歌公司(Google Inc.)。

Last week's resounding victory over Samsung in a patent trial in California mostly centered on hardware developed by the South Korean electronics maker, while including some features related to Google's Android mobile software.

上周，苹果在它与三星在美国加州打的一场专利官司中取得了重大胜利，那个案件的焦点主要落在后者研发的硬件上，同时也涉及一些与谷歌移动设备操作软件安卓(Android)有关的产品功能。

Another Apple suit, which the company filed in February, contends that all eight of the patents it is asserting are being infringed by features related to Android. They include features found in Android versions of popular Google apps like YouTube, Google Maps and Gmail as well as Google's Quick Search Box that lets users search multiple types of data at the same time.

苹果在今年2月提起的另一桩诉讼中称，安卓版产品的某些功能侵犯了苹果目前主张的八项专利。这些功能在YouTube、谷歌地图(Google Maps)、Gmail以及用户可同时搜索到多种数据的谷歌快速搜索框(Quick Search Box)等谷歌知名应用程序的安卓版中都有。

As part of the case, Apple has sought to stop sales of the Galaxy Nexus phone, which Google developed with Samsung. In addition to sales through wireless carriers, Google sells the phone directly through an online store, taking a small cut of the sales.

苹果发起该诉讼的目的之一是让三星停售Galaxy Nexus手机。这款手机为谷歌与三星共同研发。除通过无线运营商进行销售外，谷歌还直接在网上出售这款手机，并从销售额中收取小额提成。

The suit is being characterized by some people involved in the proceedings as the 'Google case' or the 'Android war.'

参与诉讼的一些人说这个案子是“谷歌案或“安卓战。

And Google is paying attention. The company has been considering its options for intervening in various legal actions Apple has taken against its Android partners, a person familiar with the matter said.

谷歌对此案表示关注。知情人士说，针对苹果不断把安卓合作伙伴告上法庭一事，谷歌一直在考虑可能采取的介入方案。

Google Chief Executive Larry Page and Apple CEO Tim Cook have met to discuss the intellectual-property disputes, according to another person familiar with the matter. Reuters earlier reported about the CEO discussions.

另一位知情人士表示，谷歌首席执行长佩奇(Larry Page)与苹果首席执行长库克(Tim Cook)就两公司的知识产权纠纷进行过面对面的讨论。路透社(Reuters)之前曾报道过他们的会谈。

Judge Lucy Koh, who is handling both cases in federal court in San Jose, Calif., granted Apple's request for an injunction against the Galaxy Nexus earlier this year. But an appeals court stayed the ban while it continues to review the matter.

美国加州圣何塞(San Jose)联邦法院法官高兰惠(Lucy Koh)负责审理这两起案件。今年早些时候，她批准了苹果提出的禁售三星Galaxy Nexus手机的请求。不过一家上诉法院叫停了这一禁售令，因为它仍在继续评估相关案情。

The court's decision on the injunction is expected within the next two months. The overall case is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in March 2014, with discovery just beginning. On Thursday, Samsung's law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, filed paperwork with the court adding its managing partner John Quinn─who played a key role in the first case─as an additional attorney.

预计这家上诉法院将在未来两个月内对上述禁令做出判决。由于调查才刚刚开始，整个案件初步安排在2014年3月开庭审理。三星的代理人昆毅诉讼律师事务所(Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan)周四向该上诉法院提交文件，增设该律所执行合伙人奎因(John Quinn)为三星代理律师之一。奎因在上周宣判的那起案件中发挥了关键作用。

'If I were Google, I would be watching this case even closer,' says Kevin Taylor, a lawyer with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP.

律师事务所Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP.的律师泰勒(Kevin Taylor)说，我要是谷歌，会对这个案件给予更多关注。

Apple's desire to attack Google's Android operating system is no secret. Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, long complained that its onetime partner 'stole' features from the iPhone and vowed to retaliate.

苹果渴望拿谷歌安卓操作系统开刀已经不是什么秘密了。苹果已故联合创始人乔布斯(Steve Jobs)曾在很长一段时间内指责一度与其合作的谷歌“偷了iPhone的一些功能，并发誓要进行报复。

Phones powered by Android have been eating into iPhone's market share for years. Such products accounted for 68% of smartphone shipments in the second quarter, according to IDC. The iPhone accounted for 17%.

采用安卓系统的手机多年来一直在侵蚀iPhone的市场份额。据国际数据公司(IDC)统计，这些手机产品今年第二季度占智能手机全球出货总量的68%，iPhone占17%。

So Apple launched a global legal war against Android users, including a suit filed in 2011 that resulted last week in a jury verdict against Samsung and a $1.05 billion judgment. Samsung is appealing.

因此，苹果在全球范围内向安卓用户发起诉讼，2011年告三星侵权的诉讼也包括在其中。此案上周审结，陪审团裁定苹果胜诉，获赔10.5亿美元。三星不服判决，正在上诉。

The suit filed in February accuses more than a dozen Samsung devices of infringing eight patents. They cover functions such as swiping to unlock the phone and tapping a string of data to take an action, like clicking to call a phone number. Samsung denied the claims and is fighting back with patents that cover high-speed data transmissions, volume control and other features.

苹果在2月份起诉三星时称，三星的十多款设备侵犯了苹果的八项专利。这些专利涉及滑动解锁功能以及点击一下就可以拨通一个电话号码等功能。三星对上述指控予以否认并对苹果提出反诉。三星称苹果侵犯了其有关高速数据传输、音量控制和其他功能的专利。

Apple hasn't sued Google directly for reasons it hasn't said. Legal experts note that it is easier to prove damages against a company that sells devices to consumers, as opposed to Google, which gives handset makers Android for free. Suing different hardware makers directly also allows Apple to hedge its bets across many cases.

出于苹果没有说出的原因，它尚未对谷歌直接提出起诉。法律专家指出，相比把矛头对准向手机生产商免费提供安卓操作系统的谷歌，证明一家向消费者销售设备的公司给自己造成了损害会更容易。直接起诉不同的硬件生产商还使苹果可以让很多不同的诉讼案相互冲抵败诉风险。

Still, Google could seek to intervene directly through various legal approaches, ranging from asking to be joined to the action or file various briefs on Samsung's behalf. The company submitted an amicus brief this summer to try to overturn the Galaxy Nexus ban. Google disputed the importance of a search-related patent Judge Koh found Samsung likely infringed and the amount of harm any infringement could potentially cause Apple.

尽管如此，谷歌仍有可能寻求通过各种法律途径直接介入，这些途径包括请求法院并案审理或作为非当事人为三星向法院提交各种意见陈述。该公司今年夏季向法院提交了一份非当事人意见陈述，以试图推翻法院对Galaxy Nexus手机发出的禁售令。对于法官高兰惠裁定三星可能侵犯的一项苹果与搜索有关的专利，谷歌对这项专利的重要性以及侵权行为可能给苹果造成的损害数额提出了质疑。

The Mountain View, Calif. company regularly consults with partners sued by Apple, and Google employees observed some of the first trial from the audience. Samsung law firm Quinn Emanuel also does work for Google.

谷歌会定期与被苹果起诉的合作伙伴进行磋商，谷歌员工还旁听了上述第一桩苹果诉三星案的部分庭审。三星聘请的昆毅诉讼律师事务所也为谷歌提供法律服务。

The stakes are high, since Google needs to keep enticing hardware manufacturers to use its software. Continued legal action against Android phone makers could deter companies from building Android phones. None, however, have indicated they are backing away since all are eager to compete with Apple.

由于谷歌需要继续吸引硬件制造商使用其软件，苹果与三星打的专利战也攸关谷歌的利益。针对安卓手机生产商持续采取的法律行动可能会令厂商们不再生产安卓手机。不过，由于各公司都迫切希望与苹果竞争，它们都表示不会抽身而退。

Google has already been forced to change some Android features. Its engineers have worked with Samsung on workarounds to at least one patent the jury found Samsung infringed last week, people familiar with the matter said. The patent relates to pinching to zoom in on a Web page. Google said in a statement after last week's verdict that most of the patents involved 'don't relate to the core Android operating system.'

谷歌已经被迫修改了安卓的一些功能。知情人士说，谷歌的工程师与三星方面合作，已拿出了至少可以绕开上周陪审团认定被三星侵犯的一项苹果专利的方法。这项专利涉及的是用两个手指放大网页的功能。谷歌在上周的陪审团裁决宣布后发表声明说，诉讼中涉及的大部分专利与安卓核心操作系统都没有关系。

And facing the potential injunction against the Galaxy Nexus, Google and Samsung modified the way to modify the way the disputed search feature works, removing its ability to search some data stored the device. Other workarounds for patents in the second case have also been developed, a person familiar with the matter said.

此外，面对针对Galaxy Nexus的禁售令可能生效这一前景，谷歌和三星修改了争议搜索功能的工作方式，去掉了搜索已存储在设备中一些数据的功能。据一位知情人士说，绕开上述第二桩诉讼中所涉及专利的方法也研发出来了。

Since the second suit, Google has entered Apple's cross hairs by acquiring Motorola Mobility. The mobile phone maker, a longtime iPhone competitor, filed a new suit against Apple with the International Trade Commission this month. Motorola's claims include allegations that Apple is infringing patents related to email reminders and location notifications among others.

自第二桩诉讼案开审以来，谷歌因收购了摩托罗拉移动(Motorola Mobility)而暴露在苹果的炮口之下。iPhone的长期竞争对手、手机生产商摩托罗拉移动本月针对苹果向美国国际贸易委员会(International Trade Commission)提起了一项新的诉讼。摩托罗拉移动的指控包括，苹果侵犯了其涉及电子邮件

提示和位置通知等功能的专利。

The two cases involve different patents and devices and therefore are entirely separate. So the jury's conclusion about the facts in the first case would have no impact on the second.

两桩诉讼案涉及不同的专利和设备，因此是完全独立的。有鉴于此，陪审团在第一桩案件中认定的事实对第二桩案件将没有任何影响。

But lawyers observing the case say the public will see them as entwined. 'It would be difficult to find a jury with no clue whatsoever about this case,' says David Tan, an assistant professor and intellectual-property expert at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. But there is no 'direct spillover effect' for Apple.

不过，关注此案的律师说，公众会认为两案是密不可分的。乔治城大学(Georgetown University)麦克多诺商学院的知识产权专家、助理教授David Tan说，很难找到一个对此案事先毫不了解的陪审团，但对苹果来说，这不会产生始料未及的直接影响。