Yep, Totally agree. It is a great and valid point. Same way I feel about specific parts for my Automobiles.
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Apple Files Patent Infringement Suit Over 'Knock-Off' Power Adapters
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Yep, Totally agree. It is a great and valid point. Same way I feel about specific parts for my Automobiles.
Knowing nothing about me and how much I know or don't know about patents, you make some interesting summary judgements.
First off, the term of a patent in the US is 20 years. From the time that Motorola was issued the patent to which I referred, any cell phone company that wanted their phones to utilize that type of mechanism had to license it from Motorola, and pay license fees for 20 years. Last time I checked, 20 years is decades. So, no BS there.
I brought up that particular patent because I was in an engineering law course that was co-instructed by a former VP from Motorola. They brought up that patent as an example of a patent that was easy to argue against. They invited us to argue against it. I offered the Star Trek example and was applauded for it. Utility patents do not require you to have existing technology that actually exhibits the utility. (How many Apple patents are published here on MR that show sketches of things like the iPhone that date back years?) It is quite possible to argue with the USPTO that a proposed patent should not be issued because it is trying to patent something that has existed in pop-culture for years, even if no REAL technologies have used it. Again, this was offered up in a class as an example of how the USPTO process has been, for a long time, a very imperfect process and a lot of patents get through that, if they had been looked at by other eyes, would never have made it.
In the years since I took that class, just to add a little bit of information about my own background, I have helped to write half a dozen utility patents, a number of design patents and been on teams that have been responsible for technology behind numerous other patents. I have also had to do preliminary prior art searches both in patented materials and in unpatented "public domain" materials.
In short, please don't go around saying that I know nothing about this topic. You might want to check you hubris at the door...
Oh my god...are you KIDDING ME?
Are they going to sue Belkin for making those iPod touch cables/charge units next?
Real low, Apple.
Your attitude mimics the same attitude of the hackintoshers. Their attitude is "What's Apple gonna do, come after me for violating the EULA?. "F" Apple, I'm gonna do it anyway" It's time for Apple to come after these people who freely feel that they can do whatever they want and mimic Apple's products and try and turn a profit from it. Magsafe is patented. PERIOD.
I don't know what some people here are getting steamed about. As far as I'm concerned, Apple is doing it's customers a favor by patenting the Magsafe and making sure other companies don't make knock offs. I, for one, don't want any 3rd party knock off Magsafe connected to my Macbook Pro. When it comes to my equipment, I'm just not a cheapskate and I don't want any power adaptors damaging my Mac. If something happens with Apple's Magsafe, what happens? We go to Apple. If something happens with the 3rd party Magsafe and it screws up my Mac what happens? Most likely the 3rd party won't help you and Apple won't cover it.
i've had experience with one of these knockoff adapters.
it wasn't good. It's slightly larger than the "old" style Macbook Pro adapters, the duck head is also slightly larger, though will work on any other apple adapter.
For diagnostic reasons i had to leave the battery out of the computer. Sometimes the charger would not actually power the computer (despite the light being green). Sometimes the light would remain green after removing the charger from the laptop.
it wasn't good. It's slightly larger than the "old" style Macbook Pro adapters, the duck head is also slightly larger, though will work on any other apple adapter.
For diagnostic reasons i had to leave the battery out of the computer. Sometimes the charger would not actually power the computer (despite the light being green). Sometimes the light would remain green after removing the charger from the laptop.
this is about magsafe?
why are you talking about the magsafe?
please point out to me where in the patent description (linked to in the article) it mentions the "magsafe" feature.
i don't see it, nor is it included in any of the sketches illustrating the various features patented.
why are you talking about the magsafe?
please point out to me where in the patent description (linked to in the article) it mentions the "magsafe" feature.
i don't see it, nor is it included in any of the sketches illustrating the various features patented.
Couldn't agree more. It's a critical component and you can't afford to skimp out on such things.
i bought a 2nd battery on ebay, similar problems.
it would appear to be full (100%), unplug the mains: battery empty in 20 minutes.
tried charging it overnight, same result.
rubbish
From what I read and from knowing someone who has had an experience of their own (melting magsafe adapter), I don't think it's fair to say Apple offer anything any safer for a $1k+ laptop than anyone else.
They should put their lawyers away and spend some extra money on developing a product that doesn't melt with extended use.
Most people on this forum are morons
It's a design patent! This has nothing to do with the ability of 3rd party manufacturers to create magsafe-compatible power supplies. Get a clue, sheeple!
It's a design patent! This has nothing to do with the ability of 3rd party manufacturers to create magsafe-compatible power supplies. Get a clue, sheeple!
Show me any gizmo costing 3 times more than it should and I'll show you a patent violation.
I'm a proud owner of two of those ebay knock-off adapters. The way I understand it, they buy the "patented" magsafe end from Apple and just mate the cord with their own cheaper power supplies.
Works for me. And after a year, mine haven't torched the house yet.
I'm a proud owner of two of those ebay knock-off adapters. The way I understand it, they buy the "patented" magsafe end from Apple and just mate the cord with their own cheaper power supplies.
Works for me. And after a year, mine haven't torched the house yet.
than it "should"? how much "should" it cost in your opinion?
how much "should" anything cost?
as far as i recall, to parphrase adam smith: "things cost as much as people are prepared to pay for them"
or are you suffering under the illusion that you're living in a socialist model country which claims that the price is directly linked to cost of production, packaging, transport, etc?
most of these economies 'died' 20 years ago, almost to the day.
Indeed. Whatever the market can bear. Seems Apple's market is bearing it all just fine.
I payed for the operating system. Apple controls what I can and can not do with it. I paid for the phone. Apple controls what I can put on it. I payed for the computer. Apple is now controlling what I can and cannot plug into it.
Of course, my opinion may be biased because I am not a Steve Jobs or Apple fanboi, and I am for copyright and patent reform...
you were not forced to buy any of this.
you agreed to a license when you bought the os, if you didn't agree you should not have bought and installed it
anyway, how are they controlling what you can do with it?
they haven't gone after anybody in hackintosh community, (if that is what you're getting at), merely stopped a company in florida making money out of their IP
maybe you've heard that you can jailbreak it and put whatever you want on it. not aware of people awaiting execution for jailbreaking their iphone. are you? go ahead jailbreak it and enjoy.
no, you can make your own power unit and plug it in, you can buy a third party unit and plug it in, they are just stopping companies from making look-a-likes.
or do you think you have a right to buy a cheaper unit made by another company that looks identical to the original?
who gave you this right? birthright?
i am not a fan, but i do make a living by creating stuff which takes a lot of money and time to create, and i do want to pay my rent and buy clothes for my kid with the earnings of this work. every farmer will stop another from harvesting the crop he sewed and tended to for a season.
obviously you do not make your living by creating stuff which others copy and sell.
btw if you're so unhappy with apple's policies, i wonder why you sink so much money into them and buy their stuff. buy something else instead.
you agreed to a license when you bought the os, if you didn't agree you should not have bought and installed it
anyway, how are they controlling what you can do with it?
they haven't gone after anybody in hackintosh community, (if that is what you're getting at), merely stopped a company in florida making money out of their IP
maybe you've heard that you can jailbreak it and put whatever you want on it. not aware of people awaiting execution for jailbreaking their iphone. are you? go ahead jailbreak it and enjoy.
no, you can make your own power unit and plug it in, you can buy a third party unit and plug it in, they are just stopping companies from making look-a-likes.
or do you think you have a right to buy a cheaper unit made by another company that looks identical to the original?
who gave you this right? birthright?
i am not a fan, but i do make a living by creating stuff which takes a lot of money and time to create, and i do want to pay my rent and buy clothes for my kid with the earnings of this work. every farmer will stop another from harvesting the crop he sewed and tended to for a season.
obviously you do not make your living by creating stuff which others copy and sell.
btw if you're so unhappy with apple's policies, i wonder why you sink so much money into them and buy their stuff. buy something else instead.
Yep. I have a white Power Book with a battery which has swelled ominously in the middle, to the point where it cannot be placed in and locked correctly. It has always ran really hot.
Apple's response: "It's older than 1 year, so you need to buy a new one. Oh, and don't use this one, because it may damage the Power Book."
So much for going to Apple being my safest bet....
As to the power adapter, it does look like a perfect copy, but did Apple patent the look and feel?
The magnetic plug patent can probably be challenged in court, if someone cared enough.
I payed for the operating system. Apple controls what I can and can not do with it. I paid for the phone. Apple controls what I can put on it. I payed for the computer. Apple is now controlling what I can and cannot plug into it.
Of course, my opinion may be biased because I am not a Steve Jobs or Apple fanboi, and I am for copyright and patent reform...
And because you cannot spell.
As for the substance of your argument, inasmuch as there is substance, you didn't pay for the operating system. You paid for the right to make use of a copy of the operating system. If you thought otherwise it was because you didn't understand the contract into which you entered, and perhaps you should read more carefully next time.
actually, the cable i bought for $2 wasn't even advertised as an 'ipod a/v cable'. it was made for camcorders. the standard headphone-to-RCA cord existed long before the iPod, and apparently the ipod is the only one using different pins.
You show your knowledge of Patent Law to be zero. Apple doesn't sell hot water pots or rice cookers. The application is with Laptops.
I see my comment has stirred up some controversy.
1. Copyrights will last for five years only.
2. Patents will be eliminated.
3. Decriminalization of things such as file sharing.
By the way, I used to make a Firefox theme, but not for a living.
Payed is actually an alternative, but archaic spelling of paid.
In terms of copyright and patent reform? I strongly agree the Pirate Party on this.
1. Copyrights will last for five years only.
2. Patents will be eliminated.
3. Decriminalization of things such as file sharing.
Once again, yes I can jail break it. But then I could get worms, which I don't want, and it's too much of a hassle. I should have full control of the device right when I buy it.
When did I not have the right to choose what I want to do with my own money? When did Apple have the right to patent the way something looks?
Perhaps you are correct, but Apple has made it rather difficult to install Mac OS X on any non-Mac machines.
I like Apple's products, I just don't like how they control what we do with them after we buy them.
By the way, I used to make a Firefox theme, but not for a living.
I'd loooove to see Microsoft patent the OLED screen in an MP3 player (Zune HD) so Apple can't use it for their next-gen iPod Touch. Then we'll see agreeable Apple is.
Always a one-way street of "artistic license" borrowing when it comes to Apple.