166
British inventor seeks to take $18bn bite out of Apple in bitter patent war
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
166 points (94.6% liked)
Technology
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The patent in question, if it's valid, would have expired several years ago. The fact that it's everyday technology today is pretty normal considering how fast technology advances. Ordinary toilet rolls were also a patented invention and there's nothing in the law that says a patent has to a complicated solution to a problem.
iTunes was the first shipping product that ever actually did what's described in the patent... and the person who ran the iTunes department that "invented" this feature was previously a subcontractor working for the guy who holds the patent - he was literally paid to implement what the patent described and then Apple poached him and he continued the work at his new job without any patent license.
I don't support patents and never will, but if there was ever a case for clear infringement then this is it. It's already been to court and apple was found guilty of patent infringement... only to have an appeals court overturn the decision in pretty questionable circumstances.
Wait... what was toilet paper before it was a roll? It's one of those things you just think always was...
Yesterday's news papers was popular. Paper in packs also existed. Before that, corn cobs, moss, a sponge on a stick, actual seashells or the left hand to name some.
Specifically three seashells.
The Sears Roebuck catalog was popular
Originally it came in spheres.
The dude couldn’t implement his patent (downloading media with drm that’s unlocked by a key downloaded from a server). He hired others to do it. His business went defunct. Apple hired one of the former employees to work on something similar because of their expertise. Is that patent infringement?
If someone hires a former Facebook employee to work on their social network, is that patent infringement?
If the patent was obvious to begin with, and there is existing prior art, is that patent infringement?
No. If that employee then implements features that FB has patented? Probably yes.