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DRM Software Development Company Intertrust Files Lawsuit Against Apple for Patent Infringement

D

drblank

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2006
111
0
Atlantico said:
Software patents are inherently stupid and illogical. As are patents in general, but software patents more so. :p
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Not to be weird, but HOW are patents inherently stupid? Let me present why I don't think they are stupid.

Let's say you come up with a unique idea and it turns out that it is something successful. You spent money, time and energy creating this idea and then even more money, time, energy in marketing it and then some bigger company comes around that blatantly copies it, but because they just copied it, they didn't spend the time, money and energy but because they have the ability to cut mfg costs, etc. they can sell their version of the same product and put you out of business. What are you supposed to do? Go out of business, even though it was YOUR idea and YOU spent money and time creating it, but someone else just swoops in and puts you out of business because they are a bigger company? Yeah, I know, some patents are very trivial to begin with, but this is how companies have a differentiation between them and the competition. If we did away with patent laws altogether, then what would happen? Ever think about the consequences if there were no patent laws?
 
R

rrjj

macrumors newbie
Oct 1, 2009
1
0
From http://www.intertrust.com/news/apple :

The lawsuit accuses Apple of making products and services that infringe on 15 Intertrust patents on security and distributed trusted computing. The lawsuit covers a broad range of key Apple products and services including iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Mac computers and laptops, Apple TV, and services including iTunes, iCloud, and the Apple App Store.
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Intertrust certainly took their time... All the Apple products they mention infringing on their patents have been on the market for several years now. Why the wait? :)
 
N

Nale72

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2012
216
0
Sweden
rrjj said:
From http://www.intertrust.com/news/apple :



Intertrust certainly took their time... All the Apple products they mention infringing on their patents have been on the market for several years now. Why the wait? :)
Click to expand...

Maybe they have had discussions for a long time with Apple to join their licensees (like Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, LG, Sony etc.) but have come to a point where they have gotten tired of them not paying up and have decided that the only way is to sue them?

I guess it also takes quite some time to build up a big case like this to be sure you have on your feet before you go up against a pro in the area as Apple.
 
AZREOSpecialist

AZREOSpecialist

Suspended
Mar 15, 2009
2,354
1,278
This patent business is getting ridiculous. So if I want to write an app to securely send files from my iPhone to my Mac, for instance, and I have developed software code that would enable me to do that, it's possible that the "concept" of what I've developed or its implementation may be patented by another company?

So, can I patent C code that will generate pig latin and then sue everyone who uses C to generate pig latin with code that is the same or substantially similar to my own? Absolutely broken system.
 
Lancer

Lancer

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2002
2,217
147
Australia
Another day another lawsuit, it would be nice to come here some mornings and not read these kinds of stories.
 
D

drblank

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2006
111
0
iamPro said:
Yes!

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Yes it sure is a pain in the rear.
But, it's like necessary evil. (I don't think its evil personally)
In the end, the system does have its checks and balances (we all are human after all!) That's why we have the court taking a closer look at the matter whenever infringement claims are made.
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Some patents are real trivial, IMO, but I'm just a consumer. Sometimes I see cases in the media and I think they are really reaching in the first place. Whether it's Apple as the plaintiff or defendant. Or if it's Microsoft, Samsung, Google, etc.

I'm not 100% sure, but I wonder if any of these settlements are covered by some form of insurance. I know of one company that got sued for something (not patent related) and they lost, but they had insurance that paid the settlement so it didn't come out of the companies back pocket. I think it was over the price they sold the company at. The settlement was dumb because it ended up being something like $.05 a share after attorney's fees in a class action lawsuit. I actually had some stock and was entitled to a check that would have ended up being worth about $5 to $10. It wasn't even worth my time filing out the paperwork, sending it in, and cashing the check. For what? A Happy Meal at McDonald's. I think the attorneys ended up making most of the money and the shareholders got nothing more than enough money to pay for dinner.
 
louis Fashion

louis Fashion

macrumors 6502a
Jan 22, 2010
726
3
Arizona, USA
Money is the root

I would have my iPhone 7 by now if APPL was not spending billions on legal fees. Think of the R and D we have missed! Yikes.

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rcread said:
It would be interesting to know the additional costs that legal fees add to your average MacBook or iPad.
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millions?
 
I

iamPro

macrumors regular
May 15, 2009
226
134
AZREOSpecialist said:
This patent business is getting ridiculous. So if I want to write an app to securely send files from my iPhone to my Mac, for instance, and I have developed software code that would enable me to do that, it's possible that the "concept" of what I've developed or its implementation may be patented by another company?

So, can I patent C code that will generate pig latin and then sue everyone who uses C to generate pig latin with code that is the same or substantially similar to my own? Absolutely broken system.
Click to expand...

Try filing that as a patent. Obviously, you won't be granted such patent. Therefore, the system isn't broken.

Further, even if it slips by human error, the court will eventually invalidate it, if you bring said patent to the surface by suing someone else. Again, the system isn't broken the way you think it is.
 
Porco

Porco

macrumors 68040
Mar 28, 2005
3,316
6,917
If you lie with the dogs of DRM, you will pick up the fleas of patent infringement lawsuits.
 
OrangeSVTguy

OrangeSVTguy

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2007
4,127
69
Northeastern Ohio
drblank said:
Some patents are real trivial, IMO, but I'm just a consumer. Sometimes I see cases in the media and I think they are really reaching in the first place. Whether it's Apple as the plaintiff or defendant. Or if it's Microsoft, Samsung, Google, etc.

I'm not 100% sure, but I wonder if any of these settlements are covered by some form of insurance. I know of one company that got sued for something (not patent related) and they lost, but they had insurance that paid the settlement so it didn't come out of the companies back pocket. I think it was over the price they sold the company at. The settlement was dumb because it ended up being something like $.05 a share after attorney's fees in a class action lawsuit. I actually had some stock and was entitled to a check that would have ended up being worth about $5 to $10. It wasn't even worth my time filing out the paperwork, sending it in, and cashing the check. For what? A Happy Meal at McDonald's. I think the attorneys ended up making most of the money and the shareholders got nothing more than enough money to pay for dinner.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm sure they hope for. People like you that don't even want to take the time to fill out a form for $5 and change. Well if there's 1000s of people who think like that, I wonder who gets to claim that big unclaimed jackpot?

Got a few from ebay I can remember for just change but with millions of users, that adds up.
 
6

64Mario64

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2013
192
2
Apple shouldn't even use DRM anyway. It's the reason why my Apple TV only works if I route it through a Chinese DRM killer (and I'm legally using it with just one screen).
 
iGrip

iGrip

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,626
0
Those Whores!

If they sue Apple, and if I have never heard of them, then I assume that they are Patent Whores unless proven innocent. And I'm in no mood to accept any evidence whatsoever of their innocence, thankyouverymuch.



/s
 
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iGrip

iGrip

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,626
0
drblank said:
All I know is the patents are a pain in the rear.
Click to expand...


If so, one of the biggest pain in the rear owners is Apple, and one of the biggest users of pains in the rear to attack other companies and to gain profits is Apple. Apple instructs its army of lawyers to create pains in the rear as often as possible, and spends millions and millions every year to produce pains in the rear.
 
SPUY767

SPUY767

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2003
2,041
131
GA
AZREOSpecialist said:
This patent business is getting ridiculous. So if I want to write an app to securely send files from my iPhone to my Mac, for instance, and I have developed software code that would enable me to do that, it's possible that the "concept" of what I've developed or its implementation may be patented by another company?

So, can I patent C code that will generate pig latin and then sue everyone who uses C to generate pig latin with code that is the same or substantially similar to my own? Absolutely broken system.
Click to expand...

No, it's more likely that you'd be sued by intertrust because translating into pig Latin is encoding and they patented that.
 
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