- Monday, August 27, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. on Monday submitted a list of eight Samsung Electronics Co. products it wants pulled from shelves and banned from the U.S. market.

Apple submitted the list after a jury found Samsung copied the iPhone and iPad in creating and marketing the products.

The products are: Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail.

A judge will decide the issue later.

Apple claimed in a sweeping lawsuit that Samsung’s smartphones and computer tablets “slavishly copied” the iPhones and iPads. Samsung countered with its own claims that Apple used its wireless technology without proper compensation.

A nine-person jury in its verdict last week unanimously agreed with Apple and ordered Samsung to pay $1 billion. Most of the damages were tied to Samsung’s smartphones. It rejected Samsung’s counterclaims.

ACQUISITION

Hertz to buy Dollar Thrifty

NEW YORK — Hertz is one-step closer to its long-awaited prize.

More than two years after its original bid, it agreed Sunday to buy Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. for about $2.3 billion, giving it more ways to attract travelers and expand its international presence. It will also give the company a leg up against competition from an increasing number of smaller competitors.

At $87.50 per share, the deal is worth far more than any of Hertz’s previous bids and about 8 percent higher than Dollar Thrifty’s closing price Friday.

Nothing will change immediately for consumers. Travelers that rent through Dollar Thrifty will still visit that counter for service. In the long run, prices in many markets will almost certainly rise as the two companies streamline their operations.

Both rental companies have grown stronger and more valuable in the years since they first considered teaming up. Both stocks have almost doubled in value, and they’ve reported robust quarterly financial results as the volume of car rentals soared. But still-fierce competition has prevented the industry from raising prices, which has dragged on revenue. Fewer big competitors mean a better chance of higher rates.

The push-and-pull between two of the nation’s largest car rental companies started in 2010. Avis Budget Group was also in the mix, pursuing a bid for Dollar Thrifty for more than a year.

IBM buys Kenexa for $1.3B in latest software deal

ARMONK — IBM is buying human resources management company Kenexa Corp. for about $1.3 billion, adding to its stable of cloud-based software.

The Monday announcement sent Kenexa’s stock to the highest point since it began trading in mid-2005.

Kenexa’s HR software is designed to help companies recruit workers and manage employees with the help of networking tools similar to the ones that connect people on Facebook and LinkedIn. The Wayne, Pa., company says it has more than 8,900 customers and employs about 2,800 workers. IBM said that it plans to continue to support Kenexa’s clients while also giving them access to IBM’s offerings.

The acquisition helps make the Armonk, N.Y., company more competitive with database maker Oracle Corp. and German business software maker SAP AG, said Rick Sherlund of Nomura Equity Research. Oracle and SAP have both recently been buying “cloud computing” companies. Such technology allows businesses to run software remotely rather than installing software in-house.

From wire dispatches and staff reports

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide