Google, Apple Accused by Judge for Using Courts as 'Business Strategy'

Apple and Google were told off by a judge during a fairly routine patent dispute between the two. The case has been ongoing since 2010 in Florida and involves well over 180 claims to patents. Now that the companies themselves filed a query to reduce the scope of the case that they have made themselves, Miami U.S. District Judge Robert Scola thinks it has gone far enough.

The judge accuses the two parties of having "no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving the dispute" and are just using the court case and further proceedings as a "business strategy."  In the aftermath of the latest query to reduce the scope of the case, the judge has responded that "without a hint or irony, the parties now ask the court to mop up a mess that they made," and subsequently declined the query.

Feeling that the companies should be responsible, the judge has further ordered both companies to streamline the case themselves in the coming four months, or else it would be placed on hold until the 100 or so terms currently in dispute are defined to everyone's satisfaction. As this could take more time than either companies are willing to invest, it is highly likely that the companies will opt to clean up the mess themselves instead.

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