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

Apple granted broad mobile patent

macworld.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 104 posts

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#11

Post by huggyface »

backprojection wrote: post #8
nicholassmith wrote: post #4

If Apple decides to use them it'll take years for it to litigate, and they'll probably be proved invalid in the process. Don't fear poor Android phones, you're safe for now.

I'm curious what happens if you're wrong though. Suppose they successfully push on this and android devices are taken off the market, or priced so high to cover licensing fees that people won't buy them. What recourse does Google have? Presumably they can't sue the patent office for granting ridiculous patents that ultimately drive them out of business.

Apple isn't immune to the patent game either. What if any of the countless assaults on Apple succeed?

There are a lot of what ifs. There are millions of patents in play.

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#13

Post by personlurking »

salmanapk wrote: post #7
freehunter wrote: post #2

>"Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, may finally get his wish and see Android devices ... completely taken off the market." Was the author not reading the news last October?

What are you referring to?

that SJ passed away and the author is using the wrong grammatical tense.

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#14

Post by keithpeter »

nicholassmith wrote: post #4

If Apple decides to use them it'll take years for it to litigate, and they'll probably be proved invalid in the process. Don't fear poor Android phones, you're safe for now.

And safe in countries outside the US as (some/all) of the patents won't be valid there.

Have members of this forum thought about the consequences of an unencumbered India and China with a large developer community?

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#15

Post by fusiongyro »

nicholassmith wrote: post #4

If Apple decides to use them it'll take years for it to litigate, and they'll probably be proved invalid in the process. Don't fear poor Android phones, you're safe for now.

You know, I actually think it would be better if the patent was upheld. Imagine the fiasco it would create. It would put the spotlight on the absurdity and abuses of the patent system when applied to technology. Might even get non-technical folks interested.

Ultimately I think the solution is going to be one of the ones Judge Posner outlined in his editorial, but it might take a big shakeup like this to turn patents into the issue-of-the-moment for the populace and get something done (you know, in the usual rushed, nobody-read-this-legislation way).

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#17

Post by RobAtticus »

personlurking wrote: post #13
salmanapk wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you referring to?

that SJ passed away and the author is using the wrong grammatical tense.

Perhaps I'm being dense, but what is the proper tense?

Nothing in that sentence reads to me like the author thinks that Steve is alive (okay, 'see' maybe).

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#18

Post by bcrescimanno »

I'm not entirely sure why this is surprising news to anybody; in the original iPhone announcement, I believe Steve Jobs said, "...and boy have we patented it."

Let's be frank: Apple is not the only major technology company with a massive collection of questionable patents that they could use to stifle their competition. The system, as it is today, basically forces companies into these patents because if they don't patent it someone else will. To put it colloquially: "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Re: Apple granted broad mobile patent

#20

Post by reitzensteinm »

fusiongyro wrote: post #15
nicholassmith wrote: post #4

If Apple decides to use them it'll take years for it to litigate, and they'll probably be proved invalid in the process. Don't fear poor Android phones, you're safe for now.

You know, I actually think it would be better if the patent was upheld. Imagine the fiasco it would create. It would put the spotlight on the absurdity and abuses of the patent system when applied to technology. Might even get non-technical folks interested. Ultimately I think the solution is going to be one of the ones Judge Posner outlined in his editorial, but it might take a big shakeup like this to turn patents…

Especially if the patent were found to be invalid elsewhere, and Android gets banned only in the US. That would cause people outside our industry to stop and think.

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure Apple wouldn't get that far - they could demand a $20 or $30 royalty instead, so consumers won't be directly confronted with the insanity; Android phones would just start being closer in price to iPhones.

Post reply on HN