RIM claims Apple using proxy votes to win nano-SIM standard
In a letter sent to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute on Thursday, RIM alleges that Apple is trying to sway the nano-SIM standard vote by having company representatives change their affiliation to cast proxy votes.
Coming on the heels of Nokia's threat to not license SIM-related patents if ETSI decides in favor of Apple's nano-SIM design, the RIM letter further confounds the european organization's decision on the new standard.
Uncovered by The Verge, RIM's complaint names three supposed Apple employees who changed their affiliation "over night and register[ed] to the meeting not representing their employer or any of their affiliates but representing a completely different company." The representatives reportedly flip-flopped and registered as proxies for Bell Mobility, KT Corp., and SK Telekom.
If the claims are true, it would be in violation of ETSI Technical Working Procedures that prohibits voting by proxy. RIM is calling votes from the offending representatives to be disqualified.
No Voting by Proxy During a Technical Body Meeting
Apple, Nokia and RIM all submitted competing designs for the future nano-SIM standard which is currently undergoing voting by ETSI in France.
The nano-SIM battle has heated up as the vote draws near because patent rights to the future standard could mean royalty fees for the losers. Earlier this week, Apple pledged to offer royalty-free licensing if its design were to win, but Nokia criticized the move as an attempt to devalue competitors' patents.
As smart devices become slimmer and more feature-rich, internal space is becoming a highly valued commodity and as such manufacturers are looking to cut excess mass wherever they can. The proposed nano-SIM format, based on 20-year-old SIM technology, would shrink the card size to allow a device to carry more critical components like more radios and higher capacity batteries.
Apple's design is basically a modification of the current microSIM standard minus some extraneous plastic around the metal contacts. Competitors are wary, however, because the specifications call for a tray to be used and there is concern that users may accidentally force Apple's nano-SIM into incompatible existing card slots.
ETSI is in the process of voting on the new standard and should decide on a final design in the coming days.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
2) If that is true that seems like a very underhanded move by Apple. I wonder if Nokia and RiM are pulling a similar stunt?
In a letter sent to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute on Thursday, RIM alleges that Apple is trying to sway the nano-SIM standard vote by having company representatives change their affiliation to cast proxy votes.
so much for do no evil. Apple is no better than
As for the proxy voting, I'd like to see some more evidence.
^-- Yep... I don't understand why it's such a hard decision. It seems like a win-win if apple is giving the rights away for free. That helps promote technology.
As for the proxy voting, I'd like to see some more evidence.
But when you have to choose between advancing technology and making a profit, which would you choose, especially if your goal isn't to 'make a dent in the universe'?
True or not, I'm smelling vinegar from tons and tons of sour grapes.
so much for do no evil. Apple is no better than
than who? Google? Who steals my personal WiFi info on a drive-by and fails to mention it? Who knowingly bypasses a security feature on an OS to steal more of my personal info? Who basically sells my online identity to the highest bidder? Yeah, you're right, this is in the same ballpark.
For the record, Google's supposed stealing of data never resulted in any breach of privacy whatsoever.
so much for do no evil. Apple is no better than
The reason that line keeps coming up when people talk about Google is they had the sanctimoniousness to have it emblazoned at their headquarters. Apple didn't. Also, it's hard to see how this behavior counts as evil, anyhow, unless you worship a god of bureaucracy. It's not like the rule in question represents some codification of a deep point of morality. It's just a "proxies aren't allowed." Considering that if Apple wins this, they're going to give the license away for free, you should probably save your indignant trembling for something more important.
so much for do no evil. Apple is no better than
...Toys R Us?
Don't leave us in suspense!
And they both seem to be very good at those respective aims...
I guess I don't understand what this use of the term "proxy" implies.
Or, I guess that maybe RiM and Nokia were hoping to sell the rights to their own developed standards, so the idea of adopting a different standard which would be free to all would be a threat...
That IS a dastardly Apple strategy.
RIM investors, all of you really need to consider abandoning this sinking ship.
The claims that these people are Apple employees ought to be easy enough to verify.
The reason that line keeps coming up when people talk about Google is they had the sanctimoniousness to have it emblazoned at their headquarters. Apple didn't. Also, it's hard to see how this behavior counts as evil, anyhow, unless you worship a god of bureaucracy. It's not like the rule in question represents some codification of a deep point of morality. It's just a "proxies aren't allowed." Considering that if Apple wins this, they're going to give the license away for free, you should probably save your indignant trembling for something more important.
The fact that Apple is prepared to give away revenue from their IP, providing that all parties do the same is not Apple being altruistic. By that act Apple undermines the business model of Nokia and RIM which rely, in part, on revenues from these sources as income and for company valuation. It is a bold play on Apple's part but the competition sees it (and rightly so) as a threat and cannot allow the play to succeed.
It may look childish, but I can assure you it is not. This is war being played out at a corporate level. If Apple succeeds here, it is possible they can widen the same strategy to other IP claims; appearing to take the high ground, gaining public support and, at the same time undermining the revenue strategies of the competition.
Since it was made so easy to lodge a patent (even if nothing has been made of that patent) there has been an enormous rush to patent everything that might be useful one day. This has resulted in it being almost impossible to build something without some past patent being tripped over. Some of these patents are owned by patent trolls. Some of these patents are owned by companies that used to innovate but now only want to cash in on their past work. Motorola is an interesting case. A soon to be has-been company whose real value is the portfolio it owns and how that portfolio may be used to slow Apple down in its chosen arena.
Apple's introduction of an IP moratorium in certain areas, if it can be broadened with public support, will hit not only Nokia and RIM but also Motorola and Google.
To be honest, I hope Apple succeed. To my mind, the bigger picture involves reworking the patent system so it encourages innovation as well as rewarding inventors. At the moment neither of those benefits are apparent.
so much for do no evil. Apple is no better than
"... no better than Mother Teresa."
Understandably the sentence couldn't be finished with Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, RIM, AT&T, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, or politicians. The the entire concept of using "so much for do no evil" is pretty funny since that's the Google slogan anyway, not Apple's.
Can't wait for the time when Apple is free to sell iPhone w/o carriers tie ups. I mean, won't be long before Apple buy airtime in bulk from existing local carriers e.g. like Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile doing in the UK (traditional carriers will still get paid from 1, Apple and 2, other phone users). Also, time would be near when WiFi penetrability would go beyond open spaces and into tunnels, undergrounds and lifts (or elevators if you insist). When it does, Apple main selling point would connectivity all areas and instant activation. Oh, no SIM! Amirite?
'coulda been a contenda.
"... no better than Mother Teresa."
Understandably the sentence couldn't be finished with Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, RIM, AT&T, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, or politicians. The the entire concept of using "so much for do no evil" is pretty funny since that's the Google slogan anyway, not Apple's.
Or, I guess that maybe RiM and Nokia were hoping to sell the rights to their own developed standards, so the idea of adopting a different standard which would be free to all would be a threat...
I doubt Nokia would make more than pennies on the dollar per device if it were solely about royalties since its patents would be FRAND patents, but i dont know exactly.
The biggest issue here for this whole squad going against Apple is that if Apple's design gets chosen every device they make will have to be redesigned to include a SIM tray in some form. Almost every device from Nokia/RIM/Moto has a slide in mechanism on the backside of the phone underneath the battery cover with a piece of metal sitting on top to make sure the SIM stays connected to the contact points and in place.
The current implementation for these 3 is the cheapest you can possibly get, and having to redesign said implementation means adding to the price of the phone (nickels and dimes add up over millions of devices). Not only that but implementing the SIM tray will mean having to completely redesign almost every phone, which will certainly cost more than a few nickels and dimes.
Apple on the other hand has its designs essentially set in stone, they will almost continue to use a SIM tray simply because they have designed their hardware for it and for them to change it is going to cost multi-millions, and could increase material costs for them.
In short, everyone is out for themselves here because whoever loses is gonna be spending a good chunk of change to get things in order.
Of course this is corporal culture and one can't realistically hold it against them for being in the business of ruthlessly obliterating their competitors, but I was under the impression that they were ALSO in the business of making great products, how about concentrating on fixing the aberration that is the new atv interface then instead?