Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 22nd Oct 2009 15:17 UTC
Remember when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, and proclaimed, to much applause, that they patented the hell out of it? Well, apparently Apple likes to boast about its own patents, but when it comes to dealing with other's they're not so willing. That is, if you believe Nokia: the largest phone manufacturer in the world has sued Apple for patent infringement.
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Member since:2008-06-24
The only way a hardware patent could apply to Apple is if it covered the ENTIRE device in some manner, which would imply it is NOT a hardware patent.
Unless, of course, the company making the iPhone for Apple had a "cease and desist" order against them and Apple was still distributing the offending hardware (assuming Apple knew about the C&D).
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Member since:
2005-07-06
If that were true, then they probably don't have a case against Apple. Remember, there's a little term called "patent exhaustion" that applies to hardware patents. What is it? Patent exhaustion means that if a hardware part is subject to a patent, the maker of the part pays the patent fee. The patent owner cannot charge people USING the part a patent fee as the patent was "exhausted" by the first party (the manufacturer). The only way a hardware patent could apply to Apple is if it covered the ENTIRE device in some manner, which would imply it is NOT a hardware patent.