And... Here Come The iPad Patent Claims
from the live-by-the-patent... dept
Back when Steve Jobs launched the iPhone, one of the points he made clear in his presentation was how Apple had applied for over 200 patents on the device. And, yet, despite all of that, Apple has been sued over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. And, of course, only recently did Apple file a patent lawsuit in the other direction.Given all of this, it was really only a matter of time until the patent litigation began flying over the iPad. Slashdot points us to the news that Elan Microelectronics is seeking to ban the import of iPads into the US via the ever-popular ITC loophole. Amusingly, the whole point of the ITC injunction process is supposed to be to protect American companies against foreign companies importing in patented technology. Yet, in this case, it's a Taiwanese company suing an American company. This seems like a pure money grab, like many of the iPhone patent lawsuits, and once again demonstrates the problems of the patent thicket around mobile devices these days.
The patent in question 5,825,352 is for multi-touch screen inputs, and was apparently originally held by Logitech. Of course, in many ways this really highlights the points we've talked about. What Apple did with the iPhone was quite innovative, but wasn't really that inventive. It took concepts that had been out for a while, including multi-touch, and did something really cool with it: putting it into a compact, mobile device that people really wanted. The other players in the space weren't working on anything like that at all, and now patent battles are simply a waste of time holding back more innovation, rather than letting companies actually continue to come up with the next great thing.
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Why would any company that makes anything fire a shot at Apple. Especially with a broad patent like this. It's as if they don't read this blog :). You need to get a legal proxy who does nothing but sue companies. They're invulnerable to retaliation. shesh..
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Nothing new under the sun
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Patent looks good...
I wonder if the folks at Elan are friends with the folks at HTC?
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Severely Flawed Reasoning
"Apple has been sued over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. And, of course, only recently did Apple file a patent lawsuit in the other direction."
"What Apple did with the iPhone was quite innovative, but wasn't really that inventive. It took concepts that had been out for a while, including multi-touch, and did something really cool with it"
Mike, you are talking about the difference between real invention and the process of stealing and combining others inventions which big companies like to call innovation.
Apple and other members of the Coalition for Patent Piracy & Fairness are sued again and again and again because they take liberties with others patent property rights repeatedly and despite Apple's 200 patents Apple no longer produces significant inventions.
All companies eventually have to acquire inventions from others. This is the normal evolution of companies. The only question is are they going to acquire them legitimately or are they going to try and play school yard bully. Most go through the bully stage and after being punished enough times they learn to do things the right way.
Apple has not learned this lesson yet but they will.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
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Theft, The New Business Model
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What's good for the goose...
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Innovation is merely bodging together stolen inventions.
Gawd, the future would be fucked if either of you guys were in any way influential.
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Re: Nothing new under the sun
I have no doubt that this is true for you but fortunately there is much to invent, really an infinity of inventions yet to come.
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
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Re: Theft, The New Business Model
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Re: Nothing new under the sun
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Re: Re: Nothing new under the sun
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Re: Severely Flawed Reasoning
Is this some silliness you just made up with your clubhouse chumbs?
Seriously, this does not show you in a good light.
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Re: What's good for the goose...
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The iPad martyr
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Re: Theft, The New Business Model
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Re: Re: Nothing new under the sun
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Re: Severely Flawed Reasoning
Perhaps you need to add "Senior Failure - Logic Academy" to your amazing signature.
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They seem to do this often...
http://moconews.net/article/419-taiwans-elan-microelectronics-sues-apple-over-multi-touch-patent-i nfrin/
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Re: Re: Theft, The New Business Model
*rimshot*
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Re: Re: Re: Nothing new under the sun
Now we just have to lock him up in a slow time envelope...
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i (Corp) PAD
Everything we did is in the public domain so MIKE innovators may feed to their hearts content. We never made a dime off the invention but I did learn that the foodie computer companies are not thankful for our gifts. I actually showed the technology to Steve Jobs in his storefront Apple shop, along with some graphic computing ideas and he told me he and Woz were perfectly happy with character graphics! Go figure! The only way that guy Jobs will pay is when a jury awards on infringement for the inventor.
No we make no claim on the i Pad name, i Corp has been dead for 30 years.
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Re: Theft, The New Business Model
The patent is only valid if the have schematics that match Apple's identically. If it is not identical, then it is a different technology. You can't patent an idea, only a method to implement that idea. If you could, then I will patent the idea of disagreeing with someone else. That way, when you write you comment back to me, disagreeing with it, I can sue you for intellectual property infringement.
Mike
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Re: Re: Theft, The New Business Model
Is this description a submarine patent?
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addon
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Re: Re: Theft, The New Business Model
Obvious well Mike I don't think so but let's see there is a next step along this line.
So what is the line MIke? What is the next step Mike? The obvious next step of course!
Surprise me, go ahead!
Although you understand when you state this "invention" you lose any chance to patent it.
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Over time, companies deliberately try to get around patents at the expense of making life more difficult for their users. To get around patents, people are asked to press buttons a little harder. For another example, take a look at Moto Labs tests of various smartphone single-finger touch tests:
http://labs.moto.com/robot_touchscreen_analysis/
Is it really that hard to license the proper IP?
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Re: Re: Re: Theft, The New Business Model
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payolla
It's only a money grab if it's your money they're grabbing. If you don't let the real innovators protect their developments, everyone will just look for government jobs or "report" for payolla like you.
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Re: payolla
Wait.
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Re: Severely Flawed Reasoning
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Elan Has Won Already! ;)
The fact is they filed notice against Apple at the iPhone's announcement. These other companies have been in this business longer. The real thieves are Apple. Who only started to develop their phone after HTC released the first true Touchscreen Smartphone, only a year after the term Smartphone came into being (and it had multi-touch technology that was invented in 1970's for Kiosks and ATM's). Do any of you remember the iPaq? lol
Being the Arrogant Kings of Invention (more like thievery), has just come back to bite them. When iPhone was launched they were served patent infringement papers by numerous prior patent holders (too many to count). They chose to ignore them all in spite of them being granted prior to anything Apple had even filed for.
Just so you know; there will be a Patent dogpile on Apple and Steve Jobs iPlatform. They will be buried in a casket of their own arrogant making. Nokia and Elan already have precedent setting prior wins in court. Apple is only prolonging their pain! ....in the end they'll either have to pay the piper or get out!!!
After all they can't be serious about demanding payment themselves while refusing to pay others that came before them!
EXTRA EXTRA APPLE BULLIES IT'S WAY INTO MOBILE MARKET, ENDS UP MIRED IN IT'S OWN POO!!! ...hmmm reminds me of fascists regimes like Hitler's Nazi Germany. Where they got dumped on by the Whole World! haha
and more recently the Apple vs MS Mess, they lost in..... ;)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162821/apple_slapped_with_multitouch_lawsuit.html
"Let me get this straight...A company is suing apple for stealing its IP...Apple is planning to sue someone who stole the IP they stole from someone else. Doesn't this sound familiar...
Apple steals GUI from Xerox...Before Xerox sues them, Apple is suing Microsoft for stealing it from them...Every one who sued lost."
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