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The main reason Apple is standing up is because if a developer settles with Lodsys and pays the royalties, they're actually violating their developer agreement with Apple (yes, it's true!). As a developer, you currently can't win.

Developers are legally between a rock (Lodsys) and a hard place (Apple), even though the infringing IP is provided by Apple, not by developers (developers use Apple's API to infringe the patent). I'm sure if some developers settled, Apple would give a bye, but right now this is an ugly situation that is creating a decent amount of fear between iOS developers.

As an iOS developer, it's good to see Apple letting everyone know they're looking out for their developer community.

But why are they just going after iOS developers? Don't Android developers do the same to some degree with the Android Market?
 
Here is the single most important fact of this case that everyone should be aware of:

Apple already pays for a license of this patent from these ******s.

Lodsys is trying to double dip, by going after the individual developer using in-app purchase. Big Mistake.

Opinion: Apple shouldn't pay this extortionist outfit one penny in the first place. Who has a right to patent buying things? No one.
 
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This is good to read. Nice to hear that Apple are looking to support developers too.

Well of course. If they lose developers then they lose apps and app store buyers etc. While its a nice gesture its not like Apple's a charity. The App store is a good steady source of income, to simply say to the developers "You're on your own" is pretty much like saying "have fun with Android!"
 
It's pretty much already destroyed :( The U.S. needs to get away from the "well rounded education" idea. It doesn't work in the modern world.

You are mistaken. In tech, the US educations system is second to none. MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, RPI, Cal. Tech., U.Mich., Carnegie Mellon, etc., etc. And many of these schools rely on patent sales and patent licensing income for a major portion of their endowments.

As a three-time graduate of one of these schools, I also think you are mistaken about the curriculum. There was nothing "well rounded" about it. It was all engineering and science.
 
You are mistaken. In tech, the US educations system is second to none. MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, RPI, Cal. Tech., U.Mich., Carnegie Mellon, etc., etc. And many of these schools rely on patent sales and patent licensing income for a major portion of their endowments.

As a three-time graduate of one of these schools, I also think you are mistaken about the curriculum. There was nothing "well rounded" about it. It was all engineering and science.

Theses schools I do give credit for. I should have clarified my post. The U.S. higher education system needs to have all schools modeled after like what you mentioned above where it focuses on your degree choice, not throwing in a bunch of garbage classes like many other schools do.
 
The patent is already considered valid and Apple has acknowledged this by licensing it.
Patents don't need to be enforced like trademarks. To maintain a trademark, you need to pursue infringers immediately, or you lose the trademark. Patents? You can let them be infringed for 15 years, until the value of the infringement makes it worth your while to then sue. And then pursue only the infringers you want. Not kidding.

But why are they just going after iOS developers? Don't Android developers do the same to some degree with the Android Market?
iOS developers are a much more lucrative target in terms of generated revenue. Developing for both platforms, the difference between my iOS and Android revenue is still a chasm.
 
So far Lodsys has served papers on about a dozen iOS developers who it says are infringing its patent 10/732,102, which it bought in 2004 from the inventor, who filed it in the 1990s, covering user interaction over a network

First, 10/732,102 is not a patent number - that is an application number.

Next, 10/732,102 is not the correct application number.

The correct application number is 10/734,102, which issued as patent number 7,222,078.
 
If you mean they have to make actual products, you would then be disallowing universities from patenting things, which would essentially destroy the US higher education system. You might want to rethink this.

Really? Care to explain how?
 
Your naivete amuses me.

+++

The Google Docs, or GMail, or Google Web Search, or Google Translate, etc...code sure is open.

Google is only for open source on desktop stuff. IOW, areas where they don't compete.
 
As much as I haven't liked Apple's recent movements - I'm really hoping they can put an end to this Lodsys problem.
 
Who said Apple is a licensee?

Everybody seems to accept the rumor of Apple being a licensee as truth. I highly doubt that this is actually the case. Lodsys, in lawyerspeak, only said that "Apple has already licensed the intellectual property for use in its own products and services", and thereby turned this whole public relations nightmare around quite nicely. But they never said that Apple is a licensee for this specific patent - or any patent of Lodsys at all.

The patent system (especially the one of the US) is fundamentally flawed, and this won't be fixed easily. Even if Apple decides to step in for the developers, they can't just put an end to this (except maybe buying Lodsys, but that would open the flood gates for similar patent trolls). I suppose Apple would have to somehow invalidate the patent, which would be extremely hard and could also lead to some of their own patents questioned by third parties.

All things considered, it's a big mess.

I wonder about the legal situation in other parts of the world; especially Europe. Any non-US developers hit by Lodsys yet?
 
Thank you Apple for getting involved.

While legally Apple probably does not has to take any action (except if they assume their license payement should cover developers), it is nice to see they get involved. But it is also in Apples interest to get involved. Companies like this threatening small developers (and apparently only small indie developers without legal department and layers) - this will make small developers scared of developing new stuff for the AppStore. If companies like Lodsys succeed with this scare tactics it will kill innovation of new apps. Interesting to see that they target only small iOS developers - I haven't heard any news that they go after android/mobile7 developers or any big name developers (with legal departments and/or cash for layers) ....
 
I think Lodsys claims are valid.

Developers should just pay and call it a day.

I got popcorn, do you?

I hope your kidding. If you are, ignore the rest of my post. If not here it is:

The developer would end up making almost no money after paying Lodsys's ridiculous fee that they in no way, shape, or form deserve.

To put it in perspective say you baked wedding cakes for a living and you bought all your cake mix from a certain supplier. Well one day someone sues you because they claim to have patented an IDEA for an ingredient in the cake mix you use that you bought from someone else and they want 57% of your profits now. Would you pay up?
 
Everybody seems to accept the rumor of Apple being a licensee as truth. I highly doubt that this is actually the case. Lodsys, in lawyerspeak, only said that "Apple has already licensed the intellectual property for use in its own products and services", and thereby turned this whole public relations nightmare around quite nicely. But they never said that Apple is a licensee for this specific patent - or any patent of Lodsys at all.
While I'm sure they could be misleading us, how does their statement not relate to the issue at hand? That's an understanding beyond cynicism.
 
I hope your kidding. If you are, ignore the rest of my post. If not here it is:

The developer would end up making almost no money after paying Lodsys's ridiculous fee that they in no way, shape, or form deserve.

To put it in perspective say you baked wedding cakes for a living and you bought all your cake mix from a certain supplier. Well one day someone sues you because they claim to have patented an IDEA for an ingredient in the cake mix you use that you bought from someone else and they want 57% of your profits now. Would you pay up?

It's 0.575%, not 57%. :D

Licensing Terms

- Lodsys' proposed licensing terms equal 0.575% of U.S. revenue for in-app upgrades, with developers also being responsible for past usage.

In the case of an Application doing an in-application upgrade (and only this scenario), Lodsys is seeking 0.575% of US revenue over for the period of the notice letter to the expiration of the patent, plus applicable past usage. So on an application that sells US$1m worth of sales in a year, the licensee would have an economic exposure of $5,750 per year.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/16/lodsys-responds-to-controversy-over-lawsuit-threats/
 
I hope your kidding. If you are, ignore the rest of my post. If not here it is:

The developer would end up making almost no money after paying Lodsys's ridiculous fee that they in no way, shape, or form deserve.

To put it in perspective say you baked wedding cakes for a living and you bought all your cake mix from a certain supplier. Well one day someone sues you because they claim to have patented an IDEA for an ingredient in the cake mix you use that you bought from someone else and they want 57% of your profits now. Would you pay up?

Yup. I was kidding. Didn't feel like writing some PERL code so ended up trolling here. :|

But yes, I am just waiting for Lodsys to sue me so I could forward my complaint to Apple.

It's not that I cannot sustain by paying the required amounts to Lodsys, I can. I can easily sustain and so do the developers I have talked to do.

But yes, I wouldn't want to pay to a patent troll for such a ridiculous patent. I better remove the update option and go **** in front of their office every morning and night. Simple.
 
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Patent should be voided if the holder can't prove any product active in a market ... Like trademarks ...
That could reduce patent trolls and still keep active inventors protected.

That would be 90 pecent of Apples patents.
 
How many of these developers even make $20,000 a year off their apps. Based on an earlier post on this subject, $20,000 a year would be fee of $115 a year. You can't hire a lawyer for that, while I think patent trolling needs to end, not sure this one is worth fighting over???
 
Tech schools rely on patent license income and patent sales as part of their endowments.
Saw your other post eventually, too. Timing.

Got percents? Because yes, I think much of the patent system, and schooling system, is absurd. Many schools appear to be relying on football revenue at this point. The entirety of the "US higher education system" is becoming something else, something I doubt someone like you (based on post #30) will appreciate.
 
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