“Logic Devices, who has provided high performance application-specific circuits for industrial and defense systems for nearly 30 years, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “The patent infringement lawsuit concerns Apple’s iOS and more.”
“Years ago, Logic Devices acquired assets from HP, namely the ‘SPROC’ processor and intellectual property,” Purcher reports. “Logic Device’s complaint then states that ‘Apple, through its development, programming, modifying, enhancement, debugging, updating and compiling of its operating systems and other software used in the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, iPad mini, and Apple TV devices (collectively, the Apple Products), has used these patented programming systems to develop its operating systems and other software for these Apple Products.'”
Read more in the full article here.
I would like to now cite my previously referenced patent which, in summary, encompasses “Coming up with silly patents which are broad, vague, and have no real public application and then watch a successful company make millions off actually doing something and then sue them for the billions owed me.”
They’ve clearly infringed my patent. I’ll be rich!
Maybe Apple did, and maybe Apple didn’t.
The deal is that anybody with a legitimate patent first tries to negotiate a license. Looking at Apple’s gross margins and cash horde they all try to get licensing fees way higher than the patent(s) are worth. Apple refuses and the “fight” begins.
Those with legitimate patent(s), but seeking unreasonable licensing fees settle before it gets to court (where the judge may rule a patent has been violated, but set a license lower than could be negotiated).
Actually, if you read the patent it covers some pretty low-level stuff, namely processor architecture and how the OS interacts with it. They also list a number of impressive entities that license their technology, including the U.S. military for use in cruise missiles.
Apple is also stealing my patents for
– matching a “top” of something to a “bottom” and thereby creating a functioning unit
– shaping a computer so it can be picked up
and other groundbreaking ideas.
🙂
Hey, that was my idea exactly one before you had yours. See you in East Texas!
I forgot to put “day” in there at the right spot don’t you know.
Huh? Dorkiest patent lawsuit yet!
Yep, Apple wilfully infringes a patent that describes how something tells something else how to do something in order for something to happen. Or something.
I represent the International Union of Independent Electrons.
Apple has been using members of our union for over three decades and has not complied with union rules that requires all users of members of the union to pay a fee to the union for each and every union member used or inconvenienced by the user.
If we must, we will file suit for the over $150 billion in fees that Apple has been negligent in paying for over 37 years!
Apple’s blatant disregard of the use, inconvenience and outright abuse of our members without adequate compensation must stop.
We demand our due!
You’ll here from our sister union (the International Union of Charge Carrying Holes) soon. They refuse to be treated as nothing by Apple!
Mammon rat sniffs cash cheese.
This lawsuit sounds incredibly desperate. Apparently, with the US federal sequester and no recent fake corporate wars, the Military Industrial Complex isn’t as lucrative as it used to be. Rat sniffs for new cheese.
But seeing as the tech is WAY over the heads of our modernity illiterate court system, I suspect it will swirl around the drain for some time before meeting with the sewer below. 😛
Um… Pretty sure that patents awarded in 1996 were still under patent grant date 17 years. Therefore patent expired a few weeks ago. I guess they can claim past damages, but nothing going forward.
But who knows what will happen in Troll town, TX
Prior art. Any computer system running software developed using this methodology prior to 1996. This patent was apparently approved in 1996. I can’t believe this patent gained approval.
Whatever the patent really means, I’ll bet Apple has prior art.
Poke fun as we might, being Apple fans and all, sad thing is that Apple will have to defend this and with our legal system who knows when or what the outcome will be. Is there not a statute of limitations of some sort with these things? Meaning how long one has to sling their hash before they can no longer file a suit? IDK, please advise. I hate to hear this crap.
Ok, sounds awfully broad.