Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Here we go again.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

no link to a source, to an article with more information or anything like that?

way to start a thread...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/03/02patents.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03...le_patent_htc/

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Oh Apple, Apple.

Proof positive the patent system in the US needs reform, badly.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/a...phone-patents/

Apple sues HTC for infringing 20 iPhone patents
 

This one over at Engadget. A lot of the items are also applicable to the N900: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/a...phone-patents/

From the article:

• The '331 Patent, entitled "Time-Based, Non-Constant Translation Of User Interface Objects Between States," was duly and legally issued on April 22, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• The '949 Patent, entitled "Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics," was duly and legally issued on January 20, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '949 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
• The '849 Patent, entitled "Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image," was duly and legally issued on February 2, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '849 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit C.
• The '381 Patent, entitled "List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display," was duly and legally issued on December 23, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '381 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit D.
• The '726 Patent, entitled "System And Method For Managing Power Conditions Within A Digital Camera Device," was duly and legally issued on July 6, 1999 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '726 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit E.
• The '076 Patent, entitled "Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices," was duly and legally issued on December 15, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '076 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit F.
• The '105 Patent, entitled "GMSK Signal Processors For Improved Communications Capacity And Quality," was duly and legally issued on December 8, 1998 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '105 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit G.
• The '453 Patent, entitled "Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor," was duly and legally issued on June 3, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '453 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit H.
• The '599 Patent, entitled "Object-Oriented Graphic System," was duly and legally issued on October 3, 1995 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '599 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit I.
• The '354 Patent, entitled "Object-Oriented Event Notification System With Listener Registration Of Both Interests And Methods," was duly and legally issued on July 23, 2002 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '354 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit J.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Heard of google.com ?.

Seriously speaking, sorry man.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Links to both Delaware and ITC court papers. There's some interesting similarities and differences with the patents used in comparison to patents Apple uses against Nokia.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/27230230...int---Delaware

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/27230233...omplaint---ITC

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

I humbly disagree, I think it is a courtesy.

bun

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Apple is now using several of the famous "iPhone"-patents. In case against Nokia they are only using one. It will be interesting to see if these also get used later against Nokia. There are few patents that overlap in both cases, but these are more ralated general computing, graphical UI, power managenment etc.

EDIT: looking at the issue dates on those Iphone patents and there some January/February 2010 in there. These could very well have just missed Apple's original complaints against Nokia, and surface soon against Nokia.

Also worth noting that HTC's Windows Mobile devices are also listed as guilty parties, altough the US techblogs seem to sell this as Apple's (indirect) attack against Google.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

if someone wants to discuss a certain topic and starts a thread to do so, i expect more information than "here we go again".
but maybe that's just me.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Patent slow down technology and the world. We'd be better off without them.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

don't be silly, if you invent something and then decide to sell it but some one else copies your idea and sells it cheaper then you...then u lose, your idea stolen.

patents end after few years then it allows others to use it.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

expand: This fact alone will dampen developments that require large resources, because they usually depend on financial return of the resulting product(s) to finance the development costs and efforts.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

apple must be feeling the heat....:D

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Software patents tend to be uncreative, uninsightful bits of legal sophistry used by large corporations and patent trolls to suppress competition and extract legal fees.

Most software patent infringements result not from seeing the technology in use elsewhere, but pure secondary derivation independent of the first. This alone calls into question pretty much any violated software patent, and because it is so easy to violate such patents no searches are -ever- conducted.

On top of that, patents last 20 years from date of filing which in the software world is an eternity. Patents issued in 1990 would only be expiring this year, and we've moved way, way beyond where we were in 1990.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

I will check back when this one is resolved, if at all, in like 5 years...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Incorrect. Patents do the opposite. They provide disclosure, which encourages advancements.

The converse, trade secrets, do more to slow down progress.

I wish this silly old wive's tale would finally just die...

caveat: sorry, the claim was too broad and I was thinking the original use of patents. I agree that software patents are a problem.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Looks like apple thinks they own the patent on cell phones, pda's and media players as Steve dreamed of them at some point while he was single handily reinventing the world of tomorrow.

Too wide a list and too many things he did not invite on it. Thinking apple's feeling threatened by Google and HTC, sweating much?

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

given the pace of development these days, 12 years (that can be extended for another period, iirc) may well make something obsolete by the time its available for anyone to implement...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

How about Google stopping suport for its products on iPhone. Imagine iPhone without gmail, google maps, GoogleTalk, Picasa... for 6 months maybe? Maybe Yahoo could try it to. No Flicker?

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Another bizarro big patent lawsuit gem:

a.) Apple is suing HTC for how HTC phones shut off the touchscreen when user holds it close to ear (proximity sensors, etc. patent 7,633,076).

b.) Meanwhile Apple itself is being sued for exactly same thing by Nokia (patent 6,518,957).

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

So will apple also sue nokia for;

1. Swipe to unlock
2. Bouncing of the browser when you reach the end of scrolling

In the first place i would like nokia not to copy such stupid trivial stuff. I never used the swipe to unlock. The hardware switch or the opening of the keyboard are way easier.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

2. is allready part of Apple's countersue claims in the Delaware case (not mentioned in the ITC case).

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU

:D

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

well, let's not go there. thank goodness google has always embraced a neutral network.

imagine google had a spat with your isp, etc. let's not retribute with the publics pipes.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

I just want to point out that long time Apple watchers would note that Apple used to be very sangiune about it's developments. This far more aggressive Apple was birthed by the advent of Windows 95 and the lawsuits that followed (and preceeded it). I believe that Apple came to the conclusion that a lot of it's work could and would be copied by competitors as MS did if it did not play the patent game.

I have noticed over the years that Apple has been patenting the hell out of things (it could also be that the internet is making such things more transparent) but I don't blame them given the lawsuits that have been sent their way by patent trolls.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

I especially like #7,007,239, "Method and apparatus for accessing a contacts database and telephone services". It is essentially the 12 button (0-9, # and *) phone keypad!

http://www.google.com/patents?id=yZN...4%2C489&edge=0

http://www.google.com/patents?id=yZN...J&dq=7,007,239

seriously...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

That's some "clever" there, putting access icons in the lower left on the same screen as the call button.

*cough*

Proof positive that the USPTO needs reform.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

I wonder if HTC has enough IP to countersue. Some of those Apple patents are older HTC corporation, and during most of it's existence HTC has been merely OEM that built stuff for other corporations.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

we shall see. Hopefully HTC wins or i can only think at the end they will shake hand and both of them can use each other patents.

Well regardless, still no apple product for me.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

While i do agree that patents protect the intellectual property of the creator, you cannot deny that they slow down progress. Looking at some of these patents, they are absolute rubbish. Look at swipe to unlock patent, seriously can these patents get any more lame? Also when a user jumps from one technology to another, they have to get used to whole new interface cause it would infringe if they had similarities. I have no issue with protecting intellectual property, but in a world where technology changes every few months, 20 year patents are stupid.

Besides, I see a massive community which provides ideas and code for everyone for free, and its given us a massive push forward, why isn't anyone attacking others for using their code?

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Great video where Nilay Patel, who writes almost everything worth reading on Engadget, gives great insight into this litigation. Also ventures briefly into Nokia vs. Apple litigation.

In-depth on the Apple patent drama: The Bottom Line

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

You know what would be awesome?

That HTC gets forbidden to use swipe to unlock, so they develop a way to unlock by drawing the smiley face of the Android bot on the screen. Oh, that would rule so much.

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

iirc, the default way to unlock something on android is a 3x3 grid where you drag a pattern. If htc applied a more iphone-like unlock on their sense ui, they where basically asking for trouble...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

what came to mind is a patent style shotgun. Basically, with enough pellets (patents) in the air, your bound to hit with some of them.

or maybe a different analogy: throw enough dirt at a wall, and some is bound to stick...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

Sure I can. Again: the core idea behind patents is protection with disclosure.

The revelation by one inventor of his process and product can and does stimulate action by others. ie, it furthers progress.

Of course, this is only true when patents are utilized properly. Like I said previously, I consider software patents an abomination of the system (same for business process patents and DNA patents on humans).

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

My view on patents and copyright is simply their original function and purpose was good. But the bastardization they have become are no longer as helpful.

Just like certain unions out there...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

/agree.

Or less feebleminded lawyers and CEO´s...

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

STEALING OUR TECHNOLOGY ?
Reinventing things and stealing ideas ?
OK old man, so iphone V4 has multitasking you say ?
So he didnt just take a look at the n900 and think yano wat ?
I just blatently thought of something by myself.
Im also pretty sure that palm holds a tonne of patents to use against apple as well dont they ?

Re: Apple sues HTC for violation of 20 patents
 

on this topic they are probably anything but feebleminded.