Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Pulls All Withings Accessories From Apple Online Store Following Nokia Lawsuit
In the wake of its legal dispute with Nokia, Apple has pulled all Withings-branded accessories from its online store and presumably from all of its retail stores around the world.
Apple appears to have pulled the accessories in the last day or two, eliminating Withings products like the Body Cardio Scale, the Smart Body Analyzer, and the Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor. When searching for these products on Apple's site, they are no longer listed as available for purchase.
Apple has stopped offering all Withings products because Withings is owned by Nokia following a spring 2016 purchase worth an estimated $192 million. The Withings brand has been integrated into Nokia's Digital Health unit and is led by Cedric Hutchings, formerly the CEO of Withings.
A cached version of the listing for the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor, no longer available from Apple.com
Earlier this week, Apple filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Nokia and several patent assertion entities of illegally transferring patents to attempt to extort excessive royalty fees from the Cupertino company. Apple had established FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) deals with Nokia, but by transferring patents to patent holding companies, additional royalties can be demanded.
In response, Nokia filed 40 patent infringement lawsuits against Apple across 11 countries, accusing the Cupertino company of failing to establish licensing deals for Nokia patents that cover displays, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding.
According to Apple, Nokia has been conspiring with patent assertion entities (Acacia Research and Conversant Property Management) in an "illegal patent transfer scheme" to wring money out of Apple because Nokia's cell phone business is failing. Nokia, meanwhile, says that it has not been able to reach a licensing agreement with Apple and must defend its rights.
Apple appears to have pulled the accessories in the last day or two, eliminating Withings products like the Body Cardio Scale, the Smart Body Analyzer, and the Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor. When searching for these products on Apple's site, they are no longer listed as available for purchase.
Apple has stopped offering all Withings products because Withings is owned by Nokia following a spring 2016 purchase worth an estimated $192 million. The Withings brand has been integrated into Nokia's Digital Health unit and is led by Cedric Hutchings, formerly the CEO of Withings.
Earlier this week, Apple filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Nokia and several patent assertion entities of illegally transferring patents to attempt to extort excessive royalty fees from the Cupertino company. Apple had established FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) deals with Nokia, but by transferring patents to patent holding companies, additional royalties can be demanded.
In response, Nokia filed 40 patent infringement lawsuits against Apple across 11 countries, accusing the Cupertino company of failing to establish licensing deals for Nokia patents that cover displays, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding.
According to Apple, Nokia has been conspiring with patent assertion entities (Acacia Research and Conversant Property Management) in an "illegal patent transfer scheme" to wring money out of Apple because Nokia's cell phone business is failing. Nokia, meanwhile, says that it has not been able to reach a licensing agreement with Apple and must defend its rights.
[ 153 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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36 months ago
It's not petty. If a company is suing you, and doing it in the way described in this article, you are not going to devote space on your shelves, in your retail stores, to that company. Simple.
36 months ago
So is it "petty" that Microsoft stores don't sell iPhones?
Is Disney wrong for not putting Shrek on its shelves?
All seems reasonable to me.
EDIT: Releasing an OS update that blocks them from working on with iPhones would be petty. Not selling them is totally different.
Is Disney wrong for not putting Shrek on its shelves?
All seems reasonable to me.
EDIT: Releasing an OS update that blocks them from working on with iPhones would be petty. Not selling them is totally different.
36 months ago
Seems a reasonable thing to do considering Nokia is allegedly violating agreed upon conditions concerning patent licensing.
36 months ago
not the first time Apple pull this crap. It's almost if the entire retail market is controlled by some with the maturity of highschool freshman
36 months ago
I always thought this is something Jobs would have done. It seems this petulant 12-year old behavior is deeply ingrained in Apple's corporate culture.
36 months ago
Most companies tend not to enjoy funding lawsuits held against them... It's not about "throwing the toys out with the pram," it's about preventing conflicts of interest.
36 months ago
I know it's their right, but at the same time, it seems so childish. And let's face it, Apple is suing other companies left and right too. In fact, haven't they battled Samsung? They should cut all ties with Samsung too (yeah, right).
36 months ago
Apple throwing its toys out of the stroller.
Grow up.
Apple store is the last place I'd personally buy a fitness gadget.
Grow up.
Apple store is the last place I'd personally buy a fitness gadget.
36 months ago
People are calling this childish behavior????? Here's an analogy: You have an employee. That employee tries to scheme against your company to create a lawsuit against your company. Firing the dude is gonna be the first thing you do... It's not childish to pull product from a company that's clearly not playing nice.
Think before you post people.
Think before you post people.
36 months ago
Wow. All these anti-Apple trolls.
Your neighbor borrows your lawnmower. He injures himself while using it and sues you.
Is it petty to not allow him to use your trimmer?
Same thing with Apple here: I'm not going to help you if you're trying to hurt me.
It would be petty if Apple was trying to pull Nokia stuff from Amazon with some lawsuit.... but they're not... just pulling it from their OWN stores.
Your neighbor borrows your lawnmower. He injures himself while using it and sues you.
Is it petty to not allow him to use your trimmer?
Same thing with Apple here: I'm not going to help you if you're trying to hurt me.
It would be petty if Apple was trying to pull Nokia stuff from Amazon with some lawsuit.... but they're not... just pulling it from their OWN stores.
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