OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/24769/Apple_Responds_to_Lodsys_Claims_Developers_Are_Licensed Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2013, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Mon, 20 May 2013 06:16:41 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com Comment by Lazarus http://www.osnews.com/thread?474257 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474257 Nice to see Apple doing something positive for a change. Mon, 23 May 2011 20:47:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Lazarus) Comments PFF http://www.osnews.com/thread?474258 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474258 Hurr durr, is the applenews.com domain already taken? Mon, 23 May 2011 21:16:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (twitterfire) Comments Comment by Stratoukos http://www.osnews.com/thread?474260 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474260
They're not actually implementing any new code that itself infringes on Lodsys' patents, and as such.

Ahh, but you see, they haven't patented code that implements in-app purchases, they've patented the idea of in-app purchases.

So, if you consider OSNews to be a web app, then the OSNews premium button (does this still exists?) actually infringes said patent, and preys on the hard work of poor, poor Lodsys. Mon, 23 May 2011 21:26:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Stratoukos) Comments RE: Comment by Stratoukos http://www.osnews.com/thread?474262 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474262 Stratoukos,

Yep, that's pretty much how patents work these days. Patents encourage this type of behavior, and those who don't play (because the system sucks all around) are the victims. Mon, 23 May 2011 22:08:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Alfman) Comments A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474275 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474275 Dear Lodsys,

Cut your crap or we'll sue you into oblivion.

Love,

Apple Tue, 24 May 2011 01:25:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mbpark) Comments RE: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474277 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474277
Dear Lodsys,

Cut your crap or we'll sue you into oblivion.

Love,

Apple


Coming from one of the heavy-weight 300 pound gorillas in the room that right there can be quite helluva daunting.

I deeply dislike Apple and their behaviour generally and while I understand that they're doing this only to keep developers using their App Store I still applaud them for doing the right thing, even if not for the correct reasons. Tue, 24 May 2011 02:09:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WereCatf) Comments RE: PFF http://www.osnews.com/thread?474278 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474278
Hurr durr, is the applenews.com domain already taken?


It resolves to IP address of 63.87.252.160 on my PC, so I'd say: yes, it is.

Anything else you need assistance with? Tue, 24 May 2011 02:13:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WereCatf) Comments RE[2]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474286 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474286

Coming from one of the heavy-weight 300 pound gorillas in the room that right there can be quite helluva daunting.

I deeply dislike Apple and their behaviour generally and while I understand that they're doing this only to keep developers using their App Store I still applaud them for doing the right thing, even if not for the correct reasons.

I'd applaud them more if they weren't being so hypocritical.

It seems in "Apple-land", they have the right to hold patents and thus sue competing organizations where as nobody else is allowed to.

I guess the key difference here is that Lodsys aren't actually competing on anything - so if I had to pick sides I would hope for Apple. However the hypocrisy is still hard to swallow. Tue, 24 May 2011 07:46:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Laurence) Comments RE[3]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474288 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474288 That is why I despise all patents.

Nowadays they don't help at all. There was innovation before patents existed.

All companies are hypocrite, all of them make use of the patent system, and all of the big players complain about it, when they lose a big case.

Luckily so far in Europe we have manage to keep them away, I imagine for how long still. Tue, 24 May 2011 08:01:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (moondevil) Comments RE[4]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474290 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474290 What about industrial patents ? I don't know how much they last, and under which terms they work (do they imply a precise description of the patented product, like technical drawings or chemical formulas, or can you patent ideas and algorithms ? Is there a requirement of notability, or can you patent an iPod Touch's rounded corners ?)Edited 2011-05-24 09:00 UTC Tue, 24 May 2011 08:59:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Neolander) Comments RE[5]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474291 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474291
Is there a requirement of notability, or can you patent an iPod Touch's rounded corners ?)


Yes you can (I think they did), It's called a design patent. Another Idiocy as design is pretty much covered by copyright... Tue, 24 May 2011 09:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (_txf_) Comments RE[6]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474313 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474313 Actually, it's more like they patented a significant part of the casing, but although this patent makes me laugh to no end, I have to admit that it's not a pure "rounded corner" patent. The patent also includes things like a description of the holding springs and detailed steps of the manufacturing process, so it's not something ridiculously obvious, imprecise, and impossible to avoid.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITO... Edited 2011-05-24 12:45 UTC Tue, 24 May 2011 12:38:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Neolander) Comments RE: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474315 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474315
Dear Lodsys,

Cut your crap or we'll sue you into oblivion.

Love,

Apple


I'd love to say this were true, but thats the problem with patent trolls:
they produce nothing, they create nothing only litigation.

As far as I know, without an actual product, you have nothing to sue them over. They need to have a product that allegedly infringes on one of your patents to be able to sue them.

The only thing one can do against patent trolls is go though the long drawn out process of trying to prove their patents are invalid.Edited 2011-05-24 12:51 UTC Tue, 24 May 2011 12:48:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (MacMan) Comments RE[2]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474321 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474321 Well, what goes around comes around. Apple abuses the patent system in the exact same way as Lodsys does. Apple complaining about Lodsys' actions is incredibly hypocritical.

But then, I've come to expect nothing less from technology companies, and Apple in particular. Tue, 24 May 2011 13:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments RE[2]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474334 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474334

I deeply dislike Apple and their behaviour generally and while I understand that they're doing this only to keep developers using their App Store I still applaud them for doing the right thing, even if not for the correct reasons.


Even corporations can do bad things some of the times and good things other times. Applaud them for the good, and criticize them for the bad. In this case, Apple is doing the right thing for the right reason.

Its absolutely insane to think that an application developer is liable for the functionality provided deeper inside an api. It woudl destroy third party development on any operating system that has licensed ip. Even the MIAA isn't that insane. The concept makes h264 licensing seem reasonable.Edited 2011-05-24 15:07 UTC Tue, 24 May 2011 15:06:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Bill Shooter of Bul) Comments RE: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474472 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474472 Dear Lodsys CEO

Please contact Darl McBride and find out what the wilderness looks like.

Love

Steve Wed, 25 May 2011 05:50:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (clasqm) Comments RE[6]: A rough translation http://www.osnews.com/thread?474574 http://www.osnews.com/thread?474574
Yes you can (I think they did), It's called a design patent. Another Idiocy as design is pretty much covered by copyright...


Its probably made millions for all of these inventor help companies, that cost a fortune and you just end up with a design patent worth nothing. Wed, 25 May 2011 15:31:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Bill Shooter of Bul) Comments