Unwired Planet Inc. files lawsuit against Apple Inc. claiming patent infringement

“A Reno Nevada company by the name of Unwired Planet Inc., formerly Openwave Systems, appears to be gambling on a patent infringement suit against Apple,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.

“The company is claiming that most everything Apple sells in the way of products and services are in direct violation of ten specific patents that they own,” Purcher reports. “According to information on their website, Unwired Planet filed a complaint in 2011 with the International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, DC, requesting that the ITC bar Apple Inc. from importing into the United States their smartphones and tablet computers that they believed infringed on Unwired Planet patents.”

Purcher reports, “Unwired Planet also simultaneously filed a similar complaint in federal district court in Delaware. Unwired Planet is asking the court to award them “reasonable royalties” and much more if Apple is found guilty.”

Much more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Another day, another lawsuit.

16 Comments

  1. I wonder when someone will patent symbols by themselves and in groups to communicate thoughts, ideas, and concepts visually. Means to do so would be manually with analog graphite, and/or ink dispensing device; also displaying such symbols visually on computer screens, or by transmission using projection.

    Additionally collections of thees groups will be collected into a compendium.

    The symbols we’ll call characters. The collection of different characters will be known as an alphabet. Specific groupings will be called words. And the compendium containing all such wors and their meaning will be known as a dictionary.

    If they ever get the patent awarded, watch out, everyone will get sued.

  2. Unwired, unwired, unwired, if you want to win a broad patent case in court, you don’t START with Apple, you start with the bozos that don’t know what they are doing when it comes to court cases.

  3. Their ‘594 patent basically describes the world wide web. I fail to see how that’s innovative. I think patents need to go back to the notion that if you develop your product in a clean room, with no exposure to someone else’s similar product, you’re okay. From my perspective, that’s the difference between Samsung copying the iPhone and a Samsung who was also developing pioneering interface, OS, and product design in their labs all of which just coincidentally end up looking and acting like Apple’s (I know it wouldn’t happen). Samsung clearly didn’t develop their product in complete isolation from Apple’s work so I don’t think there’s any research and development that needs to be protected.
    —————————
    “A system and method whereby a brown leather device can be conveyed from one point in space to another point in space utilizing arcing trajectory provided by the Earth’s gravity.”
    I hereby request US$0.10 for every pass thrown in NFL games…

  4. Ya gotta wonder….. why is it taking so long for companies to file patent suits against Apple. The iPhone is over 5 years old. iOS has had great upgrades and additions, but for the most part, still follows the sleek, easy-to-use style from the 1st iPhone. Yet, it’s taking these companies up until last year (and there’ll probably be more to come) to see that the iPhone supposedly “infringes” on their patent? It sounds to me like these companies are trying to get Apple to pay them to go away. I didn’t see any mention of the company filing a suit against Samsung for infringing on what would be the same patents. Which is odd being that Samsung outright copies most of what Apple does with it’s devices.

  5. @ dab2
    “at least these guys actually offer a service to real customers.”
    What service?
    Their web site states
    “Unwired Planet is pursuing a multi-pronged patent monetization strategy,”
    I am tired of MDN contributers spouting rubbish that is not supported by the facts. It wastes my time and makes you look both lazy and stupid..

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