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Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#91

Post by linkregister »

djrogers wrote: post #68
shawabawa3 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Seems like what you really want to say is "don't hate the player, hate the game." More like, "Hate the game, and hate the player for playing it" Instead of everyone joining in the patent suing racket, these big players should be lobbying for the laws to be changed

>Instead of everyone joining in the patent suing racket, these big players should be lobbying for the laws to be changed Except you have to do both - if you ignore the racket you are much more exposed to lawsuits. Patents are used defensively between companies like Apple and Samsung, and if you give up that defense while trying to change the laws you are severely exposed. Tough balancing act.. The flip side of it is…

> Except you have to do both - if you ignore the racket you are much more exposed to lawsuits

Check this out: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/defensive-patent-licen...

Google and Facebook are playing as well: https://code.facebook.com/posts/1639473982937255/updating-ou..., https://www.google.com/patents/licensing/dpl/non-sticky/

It should be mentioned that both of the above corporations grant this patent license for use and modification of the software they have open sourced.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#92

Post by _da_ »

veritas20 wrote: post #60
robotnoises wrote: post #12

From the VirnetX website: http://virnetx.com/company/virnetx-promise/ "Cutting-edge secure communications technology is only one of the essential elements of our products – another is integrity. ..." lol, what products?

It's actually sad that this company with only patents and no products is a listed public company on a regulated US exchange.

Their shareholders probably don't mind - their share price is up 50+% today. http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=VHC+Interactive#{"range":...

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#93

Post by st3v3r »

replies_to_all wrote: post #29
mythz wrote: post #25

Now this Patent Troll has even more ammunition to shakedown companies in future whilst encouraging creation of even more low-life leeching NPE's. Clearly Patent Trolls adds negative value, harms progress and increases cost of business - how long will this legal racketeering be allowed to continue?

Or maybe they act to keep the big players honest?

If these were companies that actually did something, instead of waste everyone's time and resources, you'd have a point.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#94

Post by clort »

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #20

I have a modest proposal to get rid of these patent trolls and these ridiculous settlements that typically are decided by a jury of West Texas farmers. Patents ought to be designated a non-transferrable property. Inventors may create a trust that receives patent revenues, and direct those revenues to any entity they please (their own company, their heirs, another company, a charity, etc.) but would not be able to act…

anyway that won't work because.. you thought you were buying that software eh? Nope, you are just licensing it.. You thought you might buy a john deere tractor? Nope.. you just licensed the right to use it. sure, you might own the axle nuts but not the software that drives the engine. You say they can't sell the patent? Oh thats ok, they will just license it..

the real problem is that simple & obvious processes are granted patents by the US patent office, and that is what needs to be fixed first.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#95

Post by Animats »

If they won in court against Apple, they're not a "patent troll". They invented something which Apple copied.

Apple has patented, and tried to enforce, the claim that they have the exclusive right to devices with a screen on the front and round corners.[1] They lost, but they're still litigating that.

[1] http://fortune.com/2015/08/19/apple-patents-rounded-corners/

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#97

Post by DannyBee »

st3v3r wrote: post #87
MCRed wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> work to mask the consistent refusal by the courts in the Eastern District to end meritless cases before trial. More trials should mean more money for lawyers in the area, judges, ancillary people like stenographers and clerks.

I'm 75-90% sure federal judges are on salary, and are not paid by the case. At least I hope this is so.

Federal judges are salaried and appointed for life except in cases of impeachment.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#98

Post by bobwaycott »

Animats wrote: post #95

If they won in court against Apple, they're not a "patent troll". They invented something which Apple copied. Apple has patented, and tried to enforce, the claim that they have the exclusive right to devices with a screen on the front and round corners.[1] They lost, but they're still litigating that. [1] http://fortune.com/2015/08/19/apple-patents-rounded-corners/

Not at all. With how widely known patent trolling is, there's nothing inherent in a patent dispute victory that signifies the patent protects a valid invention and that the party suing isn't a troll. All it means is that the troll succeeded in their trolling. That's equivalent to suggesting that if a person was found not guilty of a crime they actually committed, they didn't actually commit it.

The legal system does not adjudicate reality.

PS: The rounded corners patent is equally offensive as those bought up and profited from by trolls in the courts. Patents don't intrinsically signify authentic invention. They should, but there are far too many counter examples to rely on such a claim.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#99

Post by st3v3r »

kbenzle wrote: post #19

If this is the kind of impetus needed to set off patent reform, all the better. I would argue against the "Troll" label, it is a legal firm doing its job very well. The Troll bashers I assume would prefer the companies to just leave this $ to the infringes? Why? Is it somehow immoral to use the legal system for financial gain? No, it is not, not at all. I'd say good on them for finding the loop holes and driving thei…

" Is it somehow immoral to use the legal system for financial gain?"

Yes. Yes it is.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#100

Post by st3v3r »

replies_to_all wrote: post #27
kbenzle wrote: post #19

If this is the kind of impetus needed to set off patent reform, all the better. I would argue against the "Troll" label, it is a legal firm doing its job very well. The Troll bashers I assume would prefer the companies to just leave this $ to the infringes? Why? Is it somehow immoral to use the legal system for financial gain? No, it is not, not at all. I'd say good on them for finding the loop holes and driving thei…

Yep, if the "trolls" are trolls so is Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, all of them, are we saying the US is made up of all trolls?

"Trolls" don't do anything with the patents other than sue people. You'd be pretty hard pressed to say those companies don't use their patents.
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