“The lawsuit filed this month accuses Sanho, based out of Sunnyvale, Calif., of infringing on six MagSafe- and iPod-related patents, covering a variety of products sold under the HyperMac brand,” Hughes reports. “Among the products named in the suit are its magnetic power connectors, known as MBP-PRO and MBP-AIR, as well as a MacBook car charger, MBP-CAR.”
Hughes reports, “Instead of mimicking Apple’s patented MagSafe connectors, Sanho’s products actually rely on recycled official MagSafe products made by Apple.”
Full article here.
Wait a tick……
These cats are using recycled Apple parts to make, refurbished/repurposed parts?
You mean the same Apple that gets wood when talking about being ‘green’? Yet they are suing over recycled parts? Curious.
Must be some lawyer D-Bag that needs $ for a new GF.
I think they are using Apple parts and claiming them as their own. That is where the rub comes in.
… how can you claim patent infringement on a refurb? I mean … it’s an Apple product, yeah? Or was at one time. Intended for use with an Apple product, yeah?
This may be illegal, but … patent infringement? Don’t think so.
But it’s California, you can do anything there, the “rules” don’t apply.
The pot growers have just joined the Teamsters.
The officials running Bell gave themselves nice $800,000 yearly salaries at taxpayers expense.
Even the sub-prime mortgage mess actually started in California, then spread to Congress, FHA/Freddie and Fannie.
They can’t legally sell computer parts named after Apple trademarked products, nor use “Mac” in their name, I believe.
It really sucks that Apple doesn’t license their MagSafe connectors.
Without enterprising & innovative companies like HyperMac doing this, we wouldn’t have ANY way to add external batteries to our MacBooks for those times when we don’t have access to electrical outlets for long periods of time.
Apple, let people license your MagSafe connectors!
Apple is willing to license both it’s MagSafe connectors and the 30-pin pod connectors, so why doesn’t the defender just pay the royalty and do business legitimately? Because they would rather steal from Apple.
There is a lawful way to do business and the alternative. I would expect you conservatives out there to understand that.
“…so why doesn’t the defender just pay the royalty and do business legitimately?”
Perhaps the royalty is so high per unit it wouldn’t make any business sense to bother.
Let the clones multiply and make Apple play whack a mole?
Look what the PC clones did to IBM.
@Bizzarro
Apple has every right to set the price of it’s licenses. And obviously, it is not “too high” as evidenced by all the non-Apple companies selling products with licensed connectors.
Honestly, I cannot fathom this idea that Apple is not entitled to EARN money on it’s intellectual property. It’s not like Apple is stealing it from others – they did the R&D and developed popular products in the first place. How can you possibly be in support of the theft of property? Is that a “conservative value”?
@MacBill
You’re wrong. Apple licenses the MagSafe connector. Here’s proof – a non-Apple external battery pack that uses licensed MagSafe connectors:
http://www.hypershop.com/HyperMac-External-Battery-for-MacBook-iPhone-iPad-iPod-s/91.htm
Ooops. Bad google search. I might be wrong about Apple not licensing the MagSafe connector.
Whatever. That merchant makes some pretty darn good products!!!
I’ve actually bought one of these batteries with the magsafe adapter. When I bought it, they actually said they bought the real connector from Apple since Apple didn’t license the connector.
Works like a charm! Get em before they get sued out of business!
I love Apple and Apple products, but I believe criticism is due here.
They look like perfectly good products that compliment Apple’s products nicely.
I hope both companies can work out the licensing, Apple looks the part of Evil Bully here, and that is exactly how it will play out in the press..
Old news. This was reported on last Friday in detail.
http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/09/apple-vs-sanho-the-details-finally-emerge.html