Samsung sales blocked in US by Apple

[NickS VR4]

If You Can't Innovate, Litigate - Forbes

How Apple and Microsoft Armed 4,000 Patent Warheads | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com

[NickS VR4]

[stealthify]

As I said before, companies steal from eachother all the time. Google is not immune, nor is Microsoft or Apple.

As a feature becomes a 'must have', others will flock to copy it. Let the courts work it out.

[Mikes2nd]

these linux nerds are in denial... omg google never sues... or steals...

they seem to think they can take whatever they want, until you take their stuff.

[NickS VR4]

these linux nerds are in denial... omg google never sues... or steals...

they seem to think they can take whatever they want, until you take their stuff.

Its not so much that. Its more proving a point that each system may share ideas, but don't need to go to court when its such simple things. Apple/Jobs accused Android of being stolen, and has stated "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." Apple just needs to look in the mirror from time to time.

[stealthify]

Its not so much that. Its more proving a point that each system may share ideas, but don't need to go to court when its such simple things.

This is why you're having difficulty with the concept of patents. You can't patent an idea, but rather you patent an implementation, process and/or composition of matter on how to make that idea a reality.

And to most, this point falls on deaf ears -- including the person that made your unnecessarily oversized infographic.

Furthermore, just picking the notifications point as an example, is that it fails to mention that Google does not currently own the patent for the notification window. They applied for it, but it hasn't been approved and could still very well be denied. That is what enabled Apple (and even Palm, previously) to create their own versions of a notification center and not have a new trial on their hands (or else, trust me, Google probably would have tried to shut them down by now -- anything to kill the competition or generate more licensing revenue, all around).

And that is where these situations differ. Apple has been granted the patents they are currently fighting to keep. They're not in limbo, and until the patents are revoked, Apple is obligated to fight for them or else they WILL lose them. Patents are an asset, and no company would give them up without a fight.

[Mikes2nd]

google is suing also. It barely has any patents to use though...

[Jenkins]

Im learning a lot about the patent wars thanks to stealthify. My question is if apple has a patent that's not ridiculous and the G Nexus infringed the patent, then what's all the hub hub about? If the situation was bogus wouldn't the judge toss the case? The situation sucks because the Gnexus is a really cool phone but if it breaks the rules is that ok?

[stealthify]

Im learning a lot about the patent wars thanks to stealthify. My question is if apple has a patent that's not ridiculous and the G Nexus infringed the patent, then what's all the hub hub about? If the situation was bogus wouldn't the judge toss the case? The situation sucks because the Gnexus is a really cool phone but if it breaks the rules is that ok?

In the case with Samsung, the judge (Judge Lucy Koh), maintained that the G Nexus violated existing and valid patents. The ban, for the time being, is only until Samsung and Google work together to work around the infringements. This isn't to say that Samsung has to remove a "feature" or "idea" and make it an inferior product so to speak, but rather that they have to find a new way to implement the feature that doesn't look/act so close to the way Apple did it in their existing patents. As it stands now, Google is working with Samsung to fix this so that the G Nexus can go back on sale:

Google and Samsung apply patch to get around Galaxy Nexus ban - Digital Life - Digital Life | siliconrepublic.com - Ireland's Technology News Service

From there, they will challenge the validity of the patents. If they succeed, the patents will be nullified and other mobile operating systems can do with it as they please.

As far as the Motorola vs Apple case, the judge (Judge Posner) basically acknowledged that the patents were valid, but asserted that the companies should just license their patents and get on with it. The problem, however, is that the patents Motorola accused Apple of infringing are considered "standards" of the mobile phone industry (think: connecting via 3G), and therefore require reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing (see: FRAND). With that in said, Motorola was not being reasonable and non-discriminatory and was instead trying to charge Apple MORE than everyone else in order to keep using the technology. Had Motorola agreed to charge Apple the same as everyone else, Apple has gone on the record saying that they would have gladly licensed the patents. Motorola refused, and now they're gridlocked.

That's where things stand now.

[Jenkins]

So if Google and Samsung are being a given a chance to right their wrong and this ban isn't permanent then I really don't know why everyone is getting upset. Thanks for the clear explanations stealthify.