Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

dailytech.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 137 posts

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#21

Post by Taft »

dpcan wrote: post #7

Let's just stop the import of all computers and phones over Patent rulings. HTC and Apple should stick to their guns and deny imports of their products. Once nobody can buy computers or phones in the U.S. anymore THEN, just MAYBE, Congress will decide to fix this Patent mess.

Considering the increasingly vocal outcry of rampant patent abuse, it's also possible that tech giants begin publicly stating their position towards US patent law: it needn't exist (or one of the many alternatives that have been proposed). If the market can metabolize that, patent law reform isn't far away.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#22

Post by iqster »

jrockway wrote: post #16
emehrkay wrote: post #10

Could Apple do anything about this? It seems to be an AMD and Intel problem

Of course. They can license all their patents to HTC in exchange for a license to all of HTC's patents. Everyone wins except the new upstart company without eight billion dollars worth of bullshit patents. We don't need any new computer companies, though, there are enough already. The system works!

You're not taking patent trolls into account.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#23

Post by nextparadigms »

ceejayoz wrote: post #13
nextparadigms wrote: post #12

Maybe even Apple will realize that the current patent system isn't really doing them any favors, either, overall. When even companies that stand to benefit from the current patent system start complaining about the patent system, that's when we'll see some radical change.

> Maybe even Apple will realize that the current patent system isn't really doing them any favors, either, overall. I suspect all the big manufacturers realize that. They just don't have an option - someone is going to sue, so everyone feels they have to.

Then I assume all the big companies have no problem supporting Google to push for an overhaul (or dare I say the abolishing?) of the patent system.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#24

Post by Astrohacker »

dpcan wrote: post #7

Let's just stop the import of all computers and phones over Patent rulings. HTC and Apple should stick to their guns and deny imports of their products. Once nobody can buy computers or phones in the U.S. anymore THEN, just MAYBE, Congress will decide to fix this Patent mess.

Congress is part of the problem. Even if they fixed patents, they would just screw something else up. The checks and balances of the US government aren't working. We need a free market of governments, so that if we don't like one, we just switch to a better one. Competition would provide the check and balance, like it does for everything else. This isn't possible at present because it is impractical or impossible for most people to switch governments. But imagine how quickly governments would fix this stuff if the people just left for somewhere better. It would be fixed instantly.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#25

Post by Hawramani »

Wouldn't creating a patent alliance render the evils of this system ineffective? Members of the alliance would work together to acquire patents, and these patents will be used as patent lawsuit deterrents. Any non-member company who sues a member of the alliance will have to face a dozen lawsuits from other alliance members. (Alliance members should sign a legal agreement not to sue other members on patent-based issues.)

Of course for this to be effective a huge number of patents is needed, but there are probably a lot of big companies willing to give big bucks to avoid the patent menace, and they can raise enough money to acquire a huge number of patents. Plus each company will come with its own patents.

I guess others have already thought of this and found it impractical, which makes me wonder why it is so.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#26

Post by VMG »

Taft wrote: post #21
dpcan wrote: post #7

Let's just stop the import of all computers and phones over Patent rulings. HTC and Apple should stick to their guns and deny imports of their products. Once nobody can buy computers or phones in the U.S. anymore THEN, just MAYBE, Congress will decide to fix this Patent mess.

Considering the increasingly vocal outcry of rampant patent abuse, it's also possible that tech giants begin publicly stating their position towards US patent law: it needn't exist (or one of the many alternatives that have been proposed). If the market can metabolize that, patent law reform isn't far away.

Couldn't the tech giants cooperate and introduce a system that benefits the top 10% and exclude the long tail of smaller companies? That could be even worse.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#27

Post by elehack »

Hawramani wrote: post #25

Wouldn't creating a patent alliance render the evils of this system ineffective? Members of the alliance would work together to acquire patents, and these patents will be used as patent lawsuit deterrents. Any non-member company who sues a member of the alliance will have to face a dozen lawsuits from other alliance members. (Alliance members should sign a legal agreement not to sue other members on patent-based issu…

I think it would be very difficult to do this without running afoul of antitrust law.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#28

Post by andrew1 »

lutorm wrote: post #20

So if Apple is infringing because they used AMD hardware, aren't everyone who owns a machine with AMD hardware also infringing? While the whole patent system is tending toward absurdity, it's really absurd that you can be sued for infringement by using a product that infringes even if you have no idea or even a way of knowing that...

It might be the reason that Apple are infringing on the patent is that they are selling, not just using, a product which contains something which infringes the patent.

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#29

Post by streptomycin »

Hawramani wrote: post #25

Wouldn't creating a patent alliance render the evils of this system ineffective? Members of the alliance would work together to acquire patents, and these patents will be used as patent lawsuit deterrents. Any non-member company who sues a member of the alliance will have to face a dozen lawsuits from other alliance members. (Alliance members should sign a legal agreement not to sue other members on patent-based issu…

That sounds kind of like the [Open Invention Network](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Invention_Network).

Re: Judge Finds Apple in Violation of HTC's Newly Acquired Patents

#30

Post by AndyJPartridge »

pyre wrote: post #19
lutorm wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The spork would undoubtedly have been found infringing and sued out of existence. We'd be eating it with a fork.

Or a paddle/spatula. They might have been able to argue that it wasn't a spoon because there were no raise edges.

Or chopsticks.

Assuming someone hasn't patented a stick.

(Or come to think about it, the chewing process.)

Post reply on HN