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Apple isn't a patent troll

themactivist.com

11–13 of 13 posts

Re: Apple isn't a patent troll

#11
post #9

The backlash toward Apple seems silly to me, they're playing the game within the rules that exist. If you're mad that patents consisting of obvious combinations, evolution's, and (ux) optimizations of prior or existing technologies are a thing: rail against that, not against Apple. In the end who really cares if Apple wins or loses their patent dispute, almost undoubtedly eventually a settlement will be reached and t…

You don't get it? So just because something is within the law that makes it ok? Was slavery ok back in the day just because it was legal? What I don't get is how people can justify using this argument.

Slavery was fucked up, so we got rid of slavery.

Patent law is fucked up, so we get mad at Apple.

These two things are not alike, and the latter reaction doesn't really make sense.

I never said anything remotely close to the idea that I think what Apple is doing is OK, rather quite the opposite. But I'm not going to be mad at Apple about it because being mad at Apple accomplishes pretty much literally nothing. Instead I'll direct my frustration at the true cause of the insanity: the inane patent law itself.

Re: Apple isn't a patent troll

#12
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't get it? So just because something is within the law that makes it ok? Was slavery ok back in the day just because it was legal? What I don't get is how people can justify using this argument.

Slavery was fucked up, so we got rid of slavery. Patent law is fucked up, so we get mad at Apple. These two things are not alike, and the latter reaction doesn't really make sense. I never said anything remotely close to the idea that I think what Apple is doing is OK, rather quite the opposite. But I'm not going to be mad at Apple about it because being mad at Apple accomplishes pretty much literally nothing. Instea…

There were people rallying against slave masters. Yes, back when it was still legal to own slaves. Do you say these activists had nothing to do with abolishing slavery? Do you say they were wrong to be mad at slave masters because it was the law back hen?

Re: Apple isn't a patent troll

#13
post #4

Apple isn't a patent troll in only the most technical sense -- they're not a "non-practicing entity" but rather a company that actually makes things. They still have a bunch of terribly overbroad patents made by a broken patent system. And they're using those dysfunctional patents as aggressively as possible, which is exactly the same danger patent trolls pose.

Myhrvold is a patent troll. A better term for Apple is probably something like "patent abuser."
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