Apple handed Samsung-busting nuke after Steve Jobs multitouch interface patent gets new green light from U.S. Patent Office

“Apple has won a crucial victory over its touchy rivals following a decision to confirm its ownership of intellectual property dubbed the ‘Steve Jobs patent,'” Jasper Hamill reports for The Register.

“US patent number 7,479,949 was filed by ‘Steve Jobs et al’ and is called “touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics,” Hamill reports. “After spending almost a year reconsidering the patent, the USPTO has now said (according to FOSS Patents): ‘No amendments have been made to the patent. As a result of the re-examination, it has been determined that the patentability of claims 1-20 is confirmed.'”

Hamill reports, “This latest win in the ongoing saga means Apple now has a potent stick with which to beat Samsung through the courts.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Beat away with wild abandon, Apple!

We fervently hope the pain that’s eventually inflicted upon thieving Samsung will have no end.

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36 Comments

    1. Hamill reports, “This latest win in the ongoing saga means Apple now has a potent stick with which to beat Samsung through the courts.”

      Would this be equivalent to a “caning”, which I believe is popular over in that neck of the woods?

  1. People claim that Apple tries to patent the obvious. But the question I have for them is why didn’t the stalwarts and their established R D departments come up with that something if it was so obvious?

    Hindsight is 20/20.

      1. Hit Shamesung where it hurts: by not buying their other products. For instance, I bought a Vizio flat screen TV after deciding Shamesung’s products weren’t even an option.

        It helped that—after hours of scrutiny at the store—that Vizio’s picture was clearly superior.

        Shamesung could not possibly care less what Amercans *think* about them so long as they get our money.

        Everyone should skip the “righteous indignation” part and consistently vote with their pocketbook.

        1. (Excuse me while I wipe your spittle off the back of my computer monitor here…(

          Well… whatever your name/avatar is, two thoughts are relevant:

          1) When you find yourself disagreeing with with someone, the ” rel=”nofollow”>proper response to *bad* speech is *better* speech. You came up short in that department. If Norman Rockwell had witnessed these rants of yours in a town hall meeting, his caricature of you would doubtlessly be not quite as unflattering.

          2) Try being mindful of the” rel=”nofollow”>Golden Rule when you come to share your great wisdom on Internet venues like this.

    1. It’s only “obvious” because it is obviously the easiest, most natural way to interact with a smart device.

      FYI, had three high school football players in my van Saturday night heading home from a game. They were handing around phones (my son has an iPhone 5, other had an Android). I overheard how the swipe method of typing doesn’t work on Android, endless comments on how laggy the Android phone was (it wasn’t the newest phone, but not old either), and how it was sloooooowwwww.

      Only obvious when it works correctly.

    2. It’s obvious. That’s why everyone watching the 2007 keynote play out saw the rotary iPod phone and thought, “probably not, but close.” Then we’re completely blown away by the big screen and no keyboard.

      Then they were blown away again when Steve Jobs said that you just use your finger.

      Yeah, obvious now. Revolutionary at the time!

    1. There should be a Java issue to resolve with Android, and so far, it’s Oracle’s hand to win or loose. I am not so sure the rubber banding is included with raw Android… The icons and general look and feel are still and issue with Apple though… Remember that Android was kirfing BB before the iPhone, and then started to kirf the iPhone, after it’s announcement. Samsung and Android are made for each other, a match made in heaven.

  2. So how long does Apple have left on the life of this patent?

    Assuming the life of a patent is around 7 years, and it was granted in 2008 (maybe?)…….we have what?…….one more year????

    I am just guessing at these numbers. Hoping someone will post with more accurate dates.

    1. A patent, once issued, is good for 20 years after the application for that patent is accepted by the USPTO for filing. This changed in the past decade (don’t remember the date). Thus if a patent is accepted for filing on 1 Feb 2000, and issued a year later (1 Feb 2001) the patent is good until 1 Feb 2020.

      It used to be that a patent was good for 17 years after it was issued and you were protected as a “patent pending” while the patent application was in review. Unfortunately, large organizations with clever patent lawyers could keep something pending for many years thus extending the protection for well over two decades in total. Thus the new rule based upon the accepted filing data.

  3. *Now* is the time for Apple to release a monster phablet, and advertise it “for those of you who have grown accustomed to a giant phone, but can no longer purchase one from our patent law breaking competitors.”

    1. (BTW, I still don’t want one. The 5s will fit my pocket just fine. I don’t want to go back 20 years to the bag phone. 🙂 I always thought Apple should have run an ad suggesting a “new” accessory for the competitors, and pull out a big ol’ ’90’s style bag phone. Sorry, BLN.)

  4. This should turn people’s attention to the premier evil IP thief of all: Google. Beating up on Samsung is even less rewarding than beating the dead horse of MS at this point. Some fanboys are too easily amused…

    Besides, in relative terms, Samsung is small potatoes. It is just a hardware maker imitating Apple (seemingly with Cook’s help, as the “supply chain genius” hasn’t been able to steer substantial hardware contracts away from Sammy). Apple and its bobblehead minions need to direct their ire at the primary enemy.

    1. Beating up on Samsung will continue to be rewarding as long as Samsung is raking in $B of ill-gotten profits. Besides, without its handset vendor group, Google and Android will be hamstrung and Android will largely be just Google and Motorola Mobility.

      1. I respectfully disagree.

        “beating up on Samsung” as displayed here is a bunch of immature virtual whining in an echo chamber. Moreover, Samsung only represents the first of dozens of companies actively stealing IP from Apple (and any other foolish corporation thinking its saving money by outsourcing to the lowest common denominator regions of the world).

        It would be one thing if the rabid Samsung-bashing was educational or insightful in any way, but it isn’t. Nobody is really following the legal proceedings, they are just spouting off their pre-conceived notions. It’s getting old. If partisans want to do something useful, then gather up some facts into letter using grown-up words & logic to your government representatives politely requesting trade sanctions against not only Samsung and the other hundreds of IP thieves that corporate executives have enriched through short-sighted bargains.

        Moreover, if Apple felt truly threatened by Samsung, Cook could spend some of Apple’s cash pile in-sourcing all the hardware that Apple buys from Samsung.

        Why did Apple screw itself by trusting critical production to Samsung in the first place? Apple made the bed in which it now sleeps when it joined the parade of short-sighted western firms that outsourced to known copycats and thieves operating in nations that don’t respect business contracts and actively steal western IP using all means possible. Apple, just like every other Fortune 500 company, is attempting to lock the barn door long after it gave its stable boys the key.

        Moreover, if Samsung was legally dismantled overnight, your WalMart would be selling other brands of disposable chinese plastic junk next to the Apple iGadgets without skipping a beat. You know it, and I know it. Most publicly traded companies, especially traitorous corporations like Google, are happy to support the race to the bottom. Shame on Apple for jumping on the outsourcing bandwagon. It’s time that Apple tap its cash horde to in-source all the critical components that it foolishly gave away.

        After Apple fixes its supply chain, maybe it could also stop following Google’s every move regarding cloud subscriptions that offer no real data protection to the end user, iAds, and so forth. Apple doesn’t need the money, and following Google has done little to nothing to enhance the user experience. Apple used to pride itself in offering the best user experience above all. Now it’s just another corporation that seems to demand a premium price for its designer hardware made on the same production lines as every other western-branded gadget maker — almost every one with internal Samsung components.

  5. Hey Greg you idiot, Samsung doesn’t care one whit whether you buy their products or not. One less idiotic Apple fanboy is quite all right by them. You drink so much Kool-Aid that you’re liable to drown in it. Be that as it may there are millions of people choosing and buying Samsung products because they are cheaper and in their eyes well made.

    You do know that Samsung makes the IPS panels for the iPhone, iPad and Macs don’t you? No, you’re just a regular crazy assed fanboy spewing all sorts of nonsense in the forum. FYI Samsung makes good TVs. Not as good as the Japanese brands but better than the sucky Vizio you just bought.

    Enjoy your crapware, clueless fanboy. It sure sucks to be you.

    1. I don’t know you seem so happy. Apple is responsible for >15% of Samsun’s net profits. A move by Apple to other suppliers, coupled with the loss of handset sales due to patent infringement, will cripple Samsung’s future.

    2. Hello Pissant! If you can invent names for your anonymous cowardly self then so can I. Yes, there are still lots of people willing to do business with crooks and thieves because they are cheap low-lifes. Some of us were raised to believe that buying stolen property is wrong. You obviously weren’t. Good luck with that. Kharma is a bitch.

    3. Do you have any idea how many iUsers there are out there?

      If everyone of them stopped buying Samsung’s consumer goods there would be a big hole in Samsung’s revenue and profits.

      Think about it.

    1. Google gives away Android OS for free as in no profit to Google.

      Why sue Google when they don’t make money selling phones or operating systems?

      Sue every other company using Android instead.

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