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Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

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Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#51

Post by pmr_ »

smokeyj wrote: post #36
dstein wrote: post #19

The only difference between Lodsys and large software/hardware companies like Microsoft and Oracle is the size of their litigation targets. I'm beyond convinced that the entire software patent systems needs to be abolished.

I wonder what would happen if government became a result oriented organization. If the point of patents is to increase innovation, shouldn't you be able to measure innovation? And if you can't measure the impact of patents on innovation, what evidence is their to justify monopolizing ideas ? If you can't measure and observe, then what's the evidence? I would say there is none, it's entirely subjective. Unconditional…

More patents means more innovation, right? Because more innovative ideas have been protected, right?

So, I bet they actually do measure. Just not the way any sane person would expect. But this is what always happens if a happens if you try to run something, that is hard or impossible to measure, "economically". You revert to one of the things you can trivially count and claim that more (or less) is better. If you are one of the smart ones you dabble with relative and not absolute numbers. This is especially true for political or public institutions without any goal above "accounting of men and things" because it just doesn't matter any more to them.

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#52

Post by jamesu »

I was planning on developing a few paid apps to test the market over the next few months, but this combined with the other mobile patent lawsuits has made me seriously reconsider it.

It's a pity the app store servers reside in the US. Otherwise i wouldn't have to worry about these things!

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#53

Post by andrewpi »

scotto wrote: post #48
roc wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A collection of your own patents is no defense against a non-practicing entity like Lodsys. They don't make any products, so there's nothing in any portfolio that can threaten their business and force them to deal. A bunch of smaller businesses could definitely create a spin-off entity that bought patent rights and 'exploited' them. But it could never use those patents to target a troll. It could target other tech co…

Another option for developers: Start your companies in a country not covered by these laws. I always remind myself that if I want to get around the US laws, I can just move to Nigeria (or something).

Unless you want to limit yourself to the market in such a country, that tactic isn't really going to work. If you are providing goods/services to the US market, you will be subject to their laws.

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#54

Post by raganwald »

ZeSmith wrote: post #37
ssebro wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not exactly true- they are innovating, but they're also a patent troll. There's no reason why they can't be both.

They're using their patents to crush their competitors. It's not patent trolling, it's anti-competitive behavior.

I don't think they're trying to "crush" Samsung by extorting $15 per handset, I'd say they're trying to maximize their revenues by charging as much as they possibly can without triggering a lawsuit.

If they wanted to crush Samsung, they'd insist that Samsung sell WP7 phones or nothing. If their patents hold up, that is their right.

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#55

Post by stcredzero »

cube13 wrote: post #35
ssebro wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not exactly true- they are innovating, but they're also a patent troll. There's no reason why they can't be both.

You can't be a patent troll if you're actually making a product. The entire "business model" of a patent troll is to make money off of lawsuits, not from actually selling things.

A friend of mine was working in the Hustler store in Cincinnati in the late 90's/early 2000. You know how Larry Flynt opened a store in Cincinnati, despite the legislation passed specifically to exclude his businesses? They had boxes of butterfly, rainbow, and unicorn stickers in the basement. Every single sticker was inventoried separately, so legally, the Hustler store didn't have a majority inventory of adult items.

There's nothing preventing a sufficiently large company from being some fraction X and another fraction Y.

All systems have bugs, which is why simpler systems are easier to manage in the long run.

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#56

Post by sdizdar »

The things what Lodsys is doing right now is actually very good. There are more copy-cat trolls coming to the market based on the same idea "buy some patents and let sue many private proprietors and ask them $1000 to drop suite".

Eventually, it will be obvious even to our representatives in Washington that something is broken and they will be forced to fix it.

As they say, our representatives will try doing the right thing but only after they try all the wrong things first.

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#57

Post by stcredzero »

sdizdar wrote: post #56

The things what Lodsys is doing right now is actually very good. There are more copy-cat trolls coming to the market based on the same idea "buy some patents and let sue many private proprietors and ask them $1000 to drop suite". Eventually, it will be obvious even to our representatives in Washington that something is broken and they will be forced to fix it. As they say, our representatives will try doing the right…

So then, there is an important free market niche for "douchebags who are smart enough to exploit X, but too stupid and greedy to avoid outraging the wrong people."

Re: Patent troll Lodsys now after apps with 'More Apps' links

#59

Post by nitrogen »

pmr_ wrote: post #51
smokeyj wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder what would happen if government became a result oriented organization. If the point of patents is to increase innovation, shouldn't you be able to measure innovation? And if you can't measure the impact of patents on innovation, what evidence is their to justify monopolizing ideas ? If you can't measure and observe, then what's the evidence? I would say there is none, it's entirely subjective. Unconditional…

More patents means more innovation, right? Because more innovative ideas have been protected, right? So, I bet they actually do measure. Just not the way any sane person would expect. But this is what always happens if a happens if you try to run something, that is hard or impossible to measure, "economically". You revert to one of the things you can trivially count and claim that more (or less) is better. If you are…

More patents means more innovation, right? Because more innovative ideas have been protected, right?

This is not just a problem for the federal government. If I remember correctly, at a banquet hosted by my state's government in honor of local innovators, the emcee announced with pride the number of patents that had been granted to local businesses and inventors.

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