Apple, Microsoft sued over iPod, Zune controls

[PeteB]

Source: The Register

Apple, LG, Microsoft, and 20 other companies are being sued for patent infringement by a Texas firm that claims to have invented the touchpad.

Tsera LLC, a Texas business that's apparently named after a defunct Native American tribe, filed the suit on Wednesday in the US District Court, Eastern Texas Division.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/17/texas_touchpad_trouble/

 

[quagmire]

Why are these companies waiting now to post these lawsuits? How long do these companies have to claim infringement before they lose their patent?

 

[opinioncircle]

Think it's about 10 or 20 years.

 

[peapody]

Why are these companies waiting now to post these lawsuits? How long do these companies have to claim infringement before they lose their patent?

Maybe they JUST remembered haha.

 

[duncyboy]

I invented blinking years ago.

All of you open your peepers now or I'll call my solicitor.

 

[fily]

Why are these companies waiting now to post these lawsuits? How long do these companies have to claim infringement before they lose their patent?

I can't actually remember what the waiting period would be. But honestly, if I was in the position like that and I was a greedy bastard of a company, I'd wait as long as possible. The more "damage" done, the more money you get in return.

Say Apple released the iPod and one year later this company would be able to sue them, they'd get a good hunk of money, but Apple could refuse to keep making iPods and than that good hunk of money seems like nothing.

 

[upinflames900]

They invented the touchpad? Hmmm...I have a feeling they will not win this lawsuit.

 

[no.1 Apple Fan]

Yes, of course some company made up of 2 wannabe big business men who operate in a basement and are named after some indian tribe invented the touchpad. Of course they did.

This sounds prettttty sketchy to me.

 

[velocityg4]

It describes a touchpad that interprets commands made by detecting the patterns of strokes made by a user upon it, with each of several patterns corresponding to "a predefined function or command of the device." Moreover, it says "No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced, and the user does not need to view the device to enter commands."

I guess they forgot about the

Newton Message Pad
Released August 1993


This was released six years before they applied for their patent. I highly doubt Apple never patented it. In all likelihood Apple has patents leading up to the Newton for several years prior to 1993.

 

[upinflames900]

Yes, of course some company made up of 2 wannabe big business men who operate in a basement and are named after some indian tribe invented the touchpad. Of course they did.

This sounds prettttty sketchy to me.

Lol...exactly what I was thinking. If they win a penny I will be utterly shocked!

 

[MacVixen]

Lol...exactly what I was thinking. If they win a penny I will be utterly shocked!

I believe this suit has been filed in what has become known as the "patent lawsuit" capital of the US - Marshall, Texas. As the linked article states:

The suit requests a jury trial - juries are seldom reticent to award large damages in David versus Goliath lawsuits. Especially when it's a home-town David versus 20 Goliaths.

Sooo.... I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[pelicanflip]

So some dinky little company wants to sue Apple, Microsoft, LG, and about twenty other companies?

That's...not gonna end well for the company. Way too much power on the other end.

 

[no.1 Apple Fan]

Sooo.... I guess we will have to wait and see.

Yeah, it'll be fun to watch what happens to them and Psystar (I have never quite gotten if it is pronounced pie-star or not.)

 

[Mac Kiwi]

Maybe they are hoping bad,ongoing publicity will extort some cash out of them? {Apple etc}


I shudder to think what these frivolous lawsuits cost the US taxpayer every year.

 

[whooleytoo]

Never mind domain-squatting, IP squatting is turning out to be a major pain..