Well BT are now left quite bemused with Apple winning a case against HTC for the tiny touchscreen automatic Hyperlinks patent.
Considering Apple had initially gone to court with 10 patents it sounds as much sympathetic as genuine.I wonder what HTC decide to do? I have doubts that this patent will travel elsewhere.
Too many bloody lawer's paid stupid money by ego-maniac's if you ask me, but it's thier money and lawer's tell them to spend it to save tax AND keep themselves in a job .'more fool them'
edit; Shit !, that's what make's the world go round, 'lucky us'
Its hard to believe that some of this income Microsoft gets for Android stem from the long file name support used when you plug your phone into a PC.
Bizarre that it even needs to be proved that simple indexing for this purpose came/was discussed 3 years earlier.
"First, he created an open source project that completely upset Microsoft’s business model."
I am sure MS are shaking in their boots over this. Even Google with the open source Android do not publish everything. When it comes to competition and making money all noble ideas are put aside.
It was also very big news that China insisted on assurance that Android stays open for at least the next 5 years.
Android's 'unexpected' massive success, whilst good for the consumer might also have undermined Chrome OS which often feels like it has a 'no publicity please' box ticked.
Seems now that Microsoft have learn how to do it.
Obviously a quick shove on the phone activates the accelerometer.
Microsoft have now patented it so they now seem to own they own the software rights to giving the phone a quick knock to silence it.
Most software patents are stupid especially the look and feel ones that are not really software at all.
The only software patents that make sense are for algorithms, software algorithms that change the game radically are things like the fast fourier transform and the Rose and Fell algorithm.
Some are completely obvious, but then it takes quite a while to get a patent through the system so what seems obvious now might have been an innovative solution when it was first conceived.
I've got three software patents, and looking at them now they all seem a bit obvious. But at the time nobody had solved those particular problems like that so the solutions were patented. Part of the incentive was simply that somebody else would invent the same solution and then you'd have to prove that the technique you were using was actually deployed before the other party patented it...
Some interesting points if a little garbled at times.
"courts are beginning to see that there is a software patent problem, a big one, and companies see it too"
"Realize that patents are now being used to try to kill Free and Open Source software"
Seems the IT industry as a whole agrees whilst multinationals and lawyers want otherwise.
""We believe it's near impossible for software to be developed without breaching some of the hundreds of thousands of software patents awarded around the world, often for 'obvious' work.""
"'In general, software patents are counter-productive, often used obstructively and get in the way of innovation."
"Matthews said a recent poll of more than 1000 Kiwi IT professionals found 94 per cent wanted to see software patents gone."
When I was patenting stuff one of the reasons was to avoid the situation where somebody else patents it instead and then doesn't allow you to use the idea.
One way round this is to disclose the idea publically.
Then nobody else can patent it, since the prior art is in the public domain. This of course doesn't stop some companies from patenting obvious stuff anyway and banking on nobody having enough lawyers to challenge it.
Some of the recent patent stuff coming through for various parties is as ludicrous as ever and probably designed to patent innovation out of history.
I sometimes half wonder if it is just US protectionism there to stifle foreign competition. Can their patent office be so stupid as to allow any 'flight of fancy' thought that ever happens?
A very gentle UK rebuke to their patent office. That "the Patent Office's expenses aren't paid with tax dollars; they're paid entirely by applicants" shows as suspected that the US madness is self fulfilling.
USB is now under threat in non Apple/Microsoft gadgets now.
Will Apple and Microsoft ever get Google to join a cosy cartel where only the consumer loses?
The obvious aim is to only have Motorola left using Android. Microsoft's offer of loads of cash for HTC to move to Windows Phone certainly has a hint of being mafia like.
I think HTCs problem is that, being targeted, unlike Samsung they simply do not have an eternal money supply to spend on lawyers.
'More broadly, a modicum of sanity may return to the patent system next year as the Supreme Court has announced it will review whether software patents should be eligible in the first place'
Many of the Nortel patents are useless. They are trying to offload them. RIM/BB for a start could do with some cash back. The valuable patents were the Nokia and Motorola ones which Google and Microsoft have inherited. It's basically all tit for tat posturing and protecting themselves. It's just the game they all play. There are no innocent parties in this except for the consumer. Will the system change? Like the tax loopholes don't hold your breath. There's too many vested interests at play and certain sections of government and the legal profession are quite happy the way things are.
(PS it's the Rockstar consortium not the 'Rockbox Cartel')
Comments
Considering Apple had initially gone to court with 10 patents it sounds as much sympathetic as genuine.I wonder what HTC decide to do? I have doubts that this patent will travel elsewhere.
So Apple has patented life's standard home budgeting rules. All quite bizarre.
It is very much becoming 1984 with regards to technology.
edit; Shit !, that's what make's the world go round, 'lucky us'
Seems that Yahoo has now become a 'me too'.
They have a patent for "Online playback system with community bias."
Its hard to believe that some of this income Microsoft gets for Android stem from the long file name support used when you plug your phone into a PC.
Bizarre that it even needs to be proved that simple indexing for this purpose came/was discussed 3 years earlier.
An easier one to decide with actual tangibles being in discussion?
Also seems that the jury foreman was the one holding out for Oracle.
"First, he created an open source project that completely upset Microsoft’s business model."
I am sure MS are shaking in their boots over this. Even Google with the open source Android do not publish everything. When it comes to competition and making money all noble ideas are put aside.
Android's 'unexpected' massive success, whilst good for the consumer might also have undermined Chrome OS which often feels like it has a 'no publicity please' box ticked.
If only Oracle knew!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57493741-37/judge-urges-apple-samsung-ceos-to-talk-settlement/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title
'"If you can have your CEOs have one last conversation, I'd appreciate it," Koh told legal counsel for both companies in court here today.'
I get the impression that even Koh is under the impression that things have gone astray.
A phone call to a certain British judge might teach her a trick or two.
Seems now that Microsoft have learn how to do it.
Obviously a quick shove on the phone activates the accelerometer.
Microsoft have now patented it so they now seem to own they own the software rights to giving the phone a quick knock to silence it.
Well that continues the theme of many such like.
Seems they patented the 'revolutionary' action of scanning a document to your email draft.
The only software patents that make sense are for algorithms, software algorithms that change the game radically are things like the fast fourier transform and the Rose and Fell algorithm.
A £70 million decision on very weird sounding one.
It seem to shout out "many of your SQL queries have probably been patented"
Do the jury really know what its about?
I've got three software patents, and looking at them now they all seem a bit obvious. But at the time nobody had solved those particular problems like that so the solutions were patented. Part of the incentive was simply that somebody else would invent the same solution and then you'd have to prove that the technique you were using was actually deployed before the other party patented it...
Some interesting points if a little garbled at times.
"courts are beginning to see that there is a software patent problem, a big one, and companies see it too"
"Realize that patents are now being used to try to kill Free and Open Source software"
Seems the IT industry as a whole agrees whilst multinationals and lawyers want otherwise.
""We believe it's near impossible for software to be developed without breaching some of the hundreds of thousands of software patents awarded around the world, often for 'obvious' work.""
"'In general, software patents are counter-productive, often used obstructively and get in the way of innovation."
"Matthews said a recent poll of more than 1000 Kiwi IT professionals found 94 per cent wanted to see software patents gone."
One way round this is to disclose the idea publically.
Then nobody else can patent it, since the prior art is in the public domain. This of course doesn't stop some companies from patenting obvious stuff anyway and banking on nobody having enough lawyers to challenge it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23753311
Some of the recent patent stuff coming through for various parties is as ludicrous as ever and probably designed to patent innovation out of history.
I sometimes half wonder if it is just US protectionism there to stifle foreign competition. Can their patent office be so stupid as to allow any 'flight of fancy' thought that ever happens?
They are when I'm wearing them
A very gentle UK rebuke to their patent office. That "the Patent Office's expenses aren't paid with tax dollars; they're paid entirely by applicants" shows as suspected that the US madness is self fulfilling.
Most of those US patent office jobs really do rely on applications. There is sanity in that crazed US insanity of it all. I just hope those patent offices around the world have now realised that the US is to be seriously distrusted as a any sort of marker.http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/08/new-govt-report-on-patent-lawsuits-is-tepid-but-shows-a-clear-trend/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/08/bill-gates-still-helping-known-patent-trolls-obtain-more-patents/
So Bill Gates is one of many simply pimping the world.
ERR just maybe by paying for the patent license, Apple semi-legitimised yet another grossly slavish 'common sense' patent.
It's also foolish to refer to them as 'inventions' in that basic everyday life often has many an examples of prior art.
USB is now under threat in non Apple/Microsoft gadgets now.
Will Apple and Microsoft ever get Google to join a cosy cartel where only the consumer loses?
The obvious aim is to only have Motorola left using Android. Microsoft's offer of loads of cash for HTC to move to Windows Phone certainly has a hint of being mafia like.
I think HTCs problem is that, being targeted, unlike Samsung they simply do not have an eternal money supply to spend on lawyers.
http://gigaom.com/2013/12/24/google-sues-to-protect-android-device-makers-from-apple-backed-patent-hell/
'More broadly, a modicum of sanity may return to the patent system next year as the Supreme Court has announced it will review whether software patents should be eligible in the first place'
(PS it's the Rockstar consortium not the 'Rockbox Cartel')