Apple accused of feeding intellectual property to patent troll

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  • Reply 21 of 270
    kbrkbr Posts: 8member
    I think that what Apple is looking for is a per phone or pad/tablet in Amazon's case licensing fee like Microsoft is doing with Android rather than an injunction from shipping products like Apple probably wants with their lawsuits right now against Samsung, HTC and Motorola.
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  • Reply 22 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


    Very disappointing to have people judging something without all the facts.



    I'd be interested to meet the person who has all the facts. If that person could eventually share with others, would be nice. It SEEMS to me that until now, we're a bit strapped for them. There might be a necessity for a anti-monopoly ruling on fact-hoarding here?



    Jurys judge on their best opinion and sentence people to death in the USA. They RARELY if ever have all the facts (if they did, it would raise questions about how they get chosen...).
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  • Reply 23 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    So how are the S3 Graphics cards that HTC is presumably going to use in their phones working out?



    HTC = patent troll



    HTC are have re-evaluated their purchase of S3, anyway, how are the two situations related?



    HTC were going to purchase s3 and it's assets.

    Apple have sold assets to a non existent company to try to stealthily pass patents to a patent troll.



    As the TechCrunch article is titled "Apple Made A Deal With The Devil (No, Worse: A Patent Troll)".



    Addition:

    Look at what these assholes are up to:

    http://www.tomsguide.com/us/patent-i...ews-13400.html



    Quote:

    Digitude, an IP licensing company based in Alexandria, Virginia, just sued RIM, LG, Sony, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, and Amazon over the infringement of four of its patents.



    Which company is strangely absent from this list? I'm glad that Apple have been caught out in this spinelss act. Why didn't they keep their patents and directly go after all of these infringers?
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  • Reply 24 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz View Post


    Forget the Apple involvement for a second. How the hell is this shit even legal period?



    It's a complicated question. It raises two issues:



    - how do you make sure theorical research occurs (it requires huge investments and do not bring immediate industrial products for funding itself)?

    - how do you prevent "Murano Mirror"-type situations?



    For the record, the latter describes the situation that occurs when a group (here, the Murano Glass-blowers of Venetia in the 15th century) makes a breakthrough and is not legally protected. The glass trade secret was a state secret for the Republic of Venice (under penalty of death, glass-blowers were prevented from leaving the city).



    It is quite obvious that it is both a critical issue towards sustained innovation as well as towards individual freedom.



    I'll take patent trolls over "Murano Mirror" any day, but there probably are improvements to the system to be made.



    -------



    Also, some people argue the world would be better off without lawyers. Just saying.
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  • Reply 25 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UncleSteve View Post


    I totally agreed! Who says Apple has to play nice when everyone else plays dirty. Who says Apple has to be "politically correct" all the time. It's time for Apple to behave like a Microsoft or a Google. Yeah, I say bring it on!



    Yep, Steve is now gone. It's time for Apple to turn into Microsoft or Google or HP. Great plan.

    Hopefully, SOMEONE at Apple disagrees with it.
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  • Reply 26 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post


    Yep, Steve is now gone. It's time for Apple to turn into Microsoft or Google or HP. Great plan.

    Hopefully, SOMEONE at Apple disagrees with it.



    Let's not be naive.

    The patent game has turned into something awfully dirty in the last decade or so. Tech companies have to play hardball or die.

    It's inevitable that playing the game is going to look ugly at times, but "ugly" is not a relevant consideration for that matter.
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  • Reply 27 of 270
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,772member
    If Apple is pulling a backdoor don't-look-behind-the-curtain MS stunt (see MOSAID and Microsoft/Nokia) it would be extremely disappointing. They've been the shining underdog for so long, I hope the billions of dollars and new market leader status hasn't twisted them into something that we now need to worry about, particularly with their historical secrecy, and now enough billions to do whatever they wish in most cases whether for good or not-so-good.



    Even many hardcore Apple fans are likely raising an eyebrow. Hopefully things can be explained without casting Apple in a bad light. Whether you're a fan or not, I hope you'd want things to stay above board.
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  • Reply 28 of 270
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,847member
    What comes around, trolls around?
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  • Reply 29 of 270
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GalaxyTab View Post




    Which company is strangely absent from this list? I'm glad that Apple have been caught out in this spinelss act. Why didn't they keep their patents and directly go after all of these infringers?



    Good move on Apple's part, if this story is true.



    Why didn't Google sue Apple directly instead of giving patents to HTC?



    And why is Samsung trying to sue Apple using FRAND patents?



    It's time for Apple to start playing hardball with those cowards. I'd like to see Android completely destroyed. The world would be a better place without Android. And if Android were to disappear, Fandroids would also naturally disappear and go extinct like the dodo bird.



    All is fair in war.
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  • Reply 30 of 270
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post


    Yep, Steve is now gone. It's time for Apple to turn into Microsoft or Google or HP. Great plan.

    Hopefully, SOMEONE at Apple disagrees with it.



    And perhaps it's exactly what SJ would have wanted.
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  • Reply 31 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post


    'Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war, That this foul deed shall smell above the earth.'

    - "Julius Caesar," William Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 1



    Apple is just using someone else's dogs.



    -- Also, Chang in Star Trek VI, quoting Shakespeare



    Cry Havoc!
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  • Reply 32 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GalaxyTab View Post


    What's the difference?



    HTC = not patent troll.

    Digitude = patent troll.



    It seems these days EVERY company is a bit of a patent troll. I wish they'd stop suing each other and just focus their energies in more productive ways.
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  • Reply 33 of 270
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tikiman View Post


    It seems these days EVERY company is a bit of a patent troll. I wish they'd stop suing each other and just focus their energies in more productive ways.



    And some people wish for peace on earth, but that's obviously never going to happen, so war it is. I've chosen my side.
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  • Reply 34 of 270
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Actually, this is a smart strategy. The problem when Apple sues somebody directly is other major companies can counter sue Apple. This puts Apple's product sales at risk. When the party suing you doesn't make any products, it limits the defenses of the party being sued. You can't claim the party that is suing you is infringing patents if it doesn't make anything.
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  • Reply 35 of 270
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


    Actually, this is a smart strategy. The problem when Apple sues somebody directly is other major companies can counter sue Apple. This puts Apple's product sales at risk. When the party suing you doesn't make any products, it limits the defenses of the party being sued. You can't claim the party that is suing you is infringing patents if it doesn't make anything.



    That's a pretty good point that you make there.



    Perhaps Apple is playing chess, while the other bozos are playing checkers.
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  • Reply 36 of 270
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Is it illegal to be a patent troll? I don't think so. I wouldn't mind being a patent troll if I held many patents. The legality of some of the products that certain companies make is also in question, as they infringe upon other people's intellectual rights, so I don't think that makes them any better than a so-called patent troll.



    Sure it does. It is impossible to actually make a product today while figuring out what patents the product may infringe upon. You actually ever read a patent? They are intentionally vague, and many impossible to read. So a company like Apple that tends to be the leader of the pack can legitimately bring a product to market and not know a product is violating a patent. Patent trolls take advantage of this by not letting companies like Apple know right away about the alleged infringing patent. They wait until the product is already shipping and successful just like a troll hiding under a bridge would do.
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  • Reply 37 of 270
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    1) This is an absolutely awesome story.



    2) Lodsys was never simply a patent troll waiting for a product to get profitable before claiming rights. Apple licensed with them early on.



    3) Sounds to me that Apple's claim that their developers were covered by the original license may not have been so clear that they were willing to make a deal with Lodsys to safeguard their developers. Is Lodsys still going after Apple in that case? Are they still going after Google? Sounds like strategic and brilliant to me.



    4) This isn't the playground. You can partner and sue all at the same time. Just look at Apple and Samsung's situation. Samsung blatantly copied Apple but Apple still still use their components in most of their HW products. That's how the game is played, not by taking your toys and going off to pout.
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  • Reply 38 of 270
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


    Sure it does. It is impossible to actually make a product today while figuring out what patents the product may infringe upon. You actually ever read a patent? They are intentionally vague, and many impossible to read. So a company like Apple that tends to be the leader of the pack can legitimately bring a product to market and not know a product is violating a patent. Patent trolls take advantage of this by not letting companies like Apple know right away about the alleged infringing patent. They wait until the product is already shipping and successful just like a troll hiding under a bridge would do.



    I see what you mean.



    My comment was more targeted towards certain companies that intentionally release something that is a blatant ripoff of another product. I don't think that those companies are any better than the patent trolls.
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  • Reply 39 of 270
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Good move on Apple's part, if this story is true.



    Potentially earning the ire of RIM, LG, Sony, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, and Amazon? Very smart.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Why didn't Google sue Apple directly instead of giving patents to HTC?



    And why is Samsung trying to sue Apple using FRAND patents?



    I don't really know. Have you asked Google or Samsung themselves?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    It's time for Apple to start playing hardball with those cowards. I'd like to see Android completely destroyed. The world would be a better place without Android. And if Android were to disappear, Fandroids would also naturally disappear and go extinct like the dodo bird.



    All is fair in war.



    It sounds like this whole thing means a lot to you personally. Perusing the eradication of any group (be they social, racial, religious or other) sounds unhealthy & you seem to be engaged in some fictitious war.



    Probably best if I ignore you from now in as I doubt you can have any kind of sound discussion with that kind of fanaticism.
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  • Reply 40 of 270
    All bullies are at the core spineless.
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