Apple Lawsuits (Apple awarded a patent for in-call app switching...)

[Seanr]

Jesus Tittyfucking Christ.... Our Patent system needs to change

Apple awarded a patent for in-call app switching, starts drafting next lawsuit

Wondering how Apple planned to follow up its small victory over HTC in front of the ITC? Well, in addition to opening up a new front in its war on Samsung, the Cupertino crew have added yet another arrow to its IP quiver. The company has been awarded a patent for a "portable electronic device with graphical user interface supporting application switching." In other words, a multitasking smartphone. Of course, despite its rather broad wording (which appears to cover almost any phone that lets you switch between calls and apps) an infringing device would have to copy almost every facet of the design to find itself on the wrong side of an ITC judgment. But don't you worry, we're sure Apple lawyers are already hard at work figuring out which Android skin they'll have the most success against in court. And Google is probably already sharing collections of prior art with its manufacturers circle.

This in addition to the Unlock screen bullshit, and whatever they won over HTC the other day. pretty soon we will all have to use iPhones...

[Builttolast]

What's most dubious is apple steal more than anybody and then claim patents on them under this joke of a patent system, then proceed to sue anyone that's more successful than they are. Most of these patents should not be issued in the first place but you can bet that google and other manufacturers will question their validity. If their product is as good as they claim it to be then it should stand on it's own.

[Seanr]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/19/i...me-htc-phones/

The ITC has issued a ruling in favor of Apple Inc., banning the sale and import or certain HTC phones in the US. The ruling, which was widely expected to finally be handed down today after being delayed twice, finds that HTC violates a pair of claims patents a patent held by the Cupertino company regarding the formatting of data (such as phone numbers) in otherwise unstructured documents (such as emails) allowing users to interact with them. The ban isn't scheduled to be enacted until April 19th of 2012, giving HTC and Google plenty of time to address the court's concerns. The Taiwanese manufacturer could also simply remove the feature from its phones, though, the ability to interact with such information across apps, such as tapping a phone number in an email to dial it, is an ability most consumers expect their devices to support.

The International Trade Commission did not find that HTC violated two other patents in question, which related to realtime signal processing and would have been much more difficult for HTC to circumvent. Of course, this saga is far from over and we expect these two (along with practically every other mobile manufacturer on the planet) to continue to duke it out in the courts as opposed to in our stores.

You can check out the full PDF of the ruling at the source.

Update: Looks like HTC already has a plan in place to make it all better. Not shocking, but there it is, check out its statement after the break.

Update 2: HTC reached out to us to clarify that the company was not found to be violating a pair of patents, but that it was "two claims in a single patent."

[kuronosan]

Just fucking close Apple already. This shit never would have happened if monopolies were still frowned upon.

Apple fucking disgusts me. People talk about how great they are, but Apple never would be where it is now if it hadn't blatantly copied its competitors. Google had voice recognition on Android for how long now?

The Patent department needs to fucking research what it's issuing patents for and go "Yea, we can't give you that just because there isn't a patent. Other people did it first and this is a stupid patent".

[Seanr]

I'm sure it's run by a bunch of old people who don't fully understand technology, same with people ruling over Internet "laws", SOPA, other types of media...

[dejet]

dont get it android was the first true smartphone OS to allow full control over multitasking. Fuck look at the damn droid 1 videos LOL it loled at the fact the iphone could not.

[Octorok]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't the latest iOS update include a pull-down notification bar at the top of the screen? Now whose idea was that?

[Not Kuno]

I'm going to go patent the on button so everyone has to pay me to turn on their shit. Bahahahaha.

[Kurokikaze]

Not Apple's idea since I've had that on Android Cupcake 1.5.

Yeah this shit is getting silly with giving patents for shit that not only exists elsewhere - they didn't do in the first place.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Apple using sleazy business practices?! APPLE?! NO FUCKING WAY!

Apple is the new Microsoft, minus the decades of philanthropic guidance, overall stability, and immense diversification. And throw in a few sleazy lawyers and hipsters.

[dejet]

cant google overturn that? I mean fuck how hard can it be to show that it was their idea first? (or moto who made the phone I could but hell they are one in the same now)

[Azull]

I'm going to go patent the on button so everyone has to pay me to turn on their shit. Bahahahaha.

You have to be far more vague if you want the big bucks ..

"A physical or virtual mechanism, which when engaged, operates a certain fuction or series of fuctions"

[Orden]

You have to be far more vague if you want the big bucks ..

"A physical or virtual mechanism, which when engaged, operates a certain fuction or series of fuctions"

It's horrible because it's true.

[Tyche]

Patents and patent law aren't always about "who has it first".

[Ragnus]

You have to be far more vague if you want the big bucks ..

"A physical or virtual mechanism, which when engaged, operates a certain fuction or series of fuctions"

Now you're thinking like Steve Jobs.

[Seanr]

Patents and patent law aren't always about "who has it first".

I understand that, but some of the shit that gets awarded to Apple is ludicrous, Swiping to unlock? come the fuck on!! How the fuck else are we suppose to unlock a touchscreen phone?

[Tyche]

I understand that, but some of the shit that gets awarded to Apple is ludicrous, Swiping to unlock? come the fuck on!! How the fuck else are we suppose to unlock a touchscreen phone?

passcode? I agree patent law is is busted and needs reformed, but Apple being awarded smartphone patents falls pretty low on the list of stupid shit coming out of the patent office. No one dies because they can't afford a smart phone. Think this is bad, look at the pharmaceutical industry.

[Drex]

I'm sure it's run by a bunch of old people who don't fully understand technology, same with people ruling over Internet "laws", SOPA, other types of media...

The people working at the patent office are typically the ones who couldn't get a job in the private sector because of bad grades/unimpressive schools and resumes/no connections. That's how it works out for regulatory agencies of every industry. It's also why American regulators are so fucking useless: they're dumber than the people they are supposed to reign in.

[Correction]

Software company last to the party on preemptive multitasking in their flagship operating system in 2000 now patents the same in their flagship operating system in 2011.

Good job, Steve.

[archibaldcrane]

Where does it say again that they're drafting a lawsuit over multitasking?