“Yesterday, we received word from Rob Gloess of Computer LogicX, the company behind the Mix & Mash and Mix & Mash LITE applications for iOS, that he had received legal documents threatening a patent lawsuit over the use of an ‘upgrade’ button in the lite version of his application linking users to the App Store where they could purchase the full version,” Eric Slivka reports for MacRumors.
“The patent in question was filed in December 2003 as part of series of continuations on earlier patent applications dating back to 1992. The patent is credited to Dan Abelow, who sold his extensive portfolio of patents to holding firm Lodsys in 2004,” Slivka reports. “Computer LogiX is not the only App Store developer being hit with threats of a lawsuit, as Cult of Mac notes that James Thomson, the developer behind PCalc, has been hit with a similar notice.”
Slivka reports, “Thomson has reached out to Apple for guidance, and it remains to be seen how things will play out. According to Thomson, the patent holder is demanding that a license be negotiated within 21 days or a lawsuit will be filed.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
They should be suing apple, not the dev’s.
The dev’s wouldn’t have the ability to do what the bs lawsuit claims unless apple allowed them to do so.
IMO this lawsuit needs to be tossed out, and quickly.
Apple is the target. You can’t get to Apple directly cuz they’re too strong. But get the devs to flinch and Apple has a problem.
Apple should step up and defend the devs as it was Apple that gave them the upgrade method in question.
Alright, this is getting f-ing ricockulous!!!
The world’s gone mad…
When will some judge get a backbone and throw this ridiculous crap out with prejudice and assessing costs on the loser that initiates the suit. And with a reprimand to the lawyers for filing it.
We will never get meaningful tort reform as long as unlimited donations can be made anonymously.
the net effect of all this is that small businesses really need to be protected from predatory patent trolls and corporations or we’re going to lose the next wave of innovation to China, because the innovators are being shut out.
All the rats troll around looking for cheese to carve a piece for themselves. The bigger and richer the cheese, the more rats show up.
A patented upgrade button? You’ve got to be kidding me.
We should not allow patents on Software. If you can patent all ideas, then no one can legally THINK. that’s not where we want to go as a society!
I would think Apple would indemnify developers. Time for them to go to bat for their developers, which are a great asset.
I have a patent pending where placing one foot in front of another and repeating with the opposite foot will produce a forward momentum to get from one place to another. Everyone will have to license “walking” or they can walk backwards.
I hope so, I have the patent on walking backwards.
Ahhhhh, reverse engineering
Ahhhh, reverse engineering
I have a patent on double posts. I’m going to be rich.
Think of the end game here. Trying to take down developers won’t directly yield much for the patent troll. Either they are trying to avoid an expensive, drawn-out legal battle with Apple, but more likely, it’s worth wondering who us hiding behind the patent troll?
My money is on our old friend Microsoft. Ballmer is desperate to get in the mobile game after screwing up so badly. The anti trust oversight on Microsoft just ended yesterday. To get in the game, Microsift needs developers (sing with me, everyone!), which have not exactly been flicking to Redmond to work on their craply phone OS.
Plus, Ballmer is no stranger to fighting dirty. FUD is part of his middle initials. so in a move similar to Facebook and Burson Marstellar, Ballmer puts cash in the pocket of a bottom-feeding patent troll to put a chill on Apple developers.
Typical. I hope Apple legal goes totally Team Six on their fat asses.
They won’t go after Apple now because they’re too big but getting some small-fry to roll over and license gives their patent some legitimacy, at least in a legal sense.
The patent system of the U.S. is now officially a train wreck.
How could a patent possibly be issued in 1992 for something for which the technology required for it wouldn’t exist for over a decade later?
Was there even a internet where you could use a button to upgrade?
Upgrade THIS, Lodsys (unprintable)
Patent Troll:
Mark.Small@lodsys.com