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Did you give it to those 12 coders before or after it was patented? Because obviousness is gauged at the time of the invention, not afterward.
Point. I was thinking particularly in terms of "they have no knowledge of the patent or its contents/algorithm". Yes, years later, "everyone", sees that as the right way to do X. But I'd say if many coders (say shortly after the patent was submitted or granted, but with zero knowledge of it), given the same assignment, come up with the same series of steps to solve it, it fails the non-obvious test.

It might be "novel", because maybe nobody's ever done it that way before (there does have to be a first time), but the novelty may simply be that they're the first to think of submitting it as a patent - they may be the thousandth person to come up with that series of steps and it never occurred to the other 999 to patent it. But I'd still say it's not "non-obvious" (if others presented with the same task quickly see the same solution). Of course, I'm talking of the way patents ought to work (IMHO), not the way they actually do now.
 
Apple adds that it has "long sought to bring a balanced perspective to the promises and perils of standardization" and is committed to licensing its own cellular standards-essential patents on FRAND terms.
In other words, supporting standards applies only to companies other than Apple? 😄
 
I think what Apple really wants is industry FRAND terms that is based on Fixed rate. Example everyone will be paying the same total of $50 dollars for Wireless Patents, if they are using LTE Advance Pro or 3GPP R14 Spec.

This will give advantage to Apple, as the lowered end of the market Sub $200 Phone will now have to paid the same as Apple's $1000 Phone, where previously Apple will have to paid double or more if it was based on percentages. So either the lower end market dont have 5G ( as that is going to be the standard coming up), or the market will have to make a 5G phone and make compromise in other components.

It seems Ericsson, Nokia are on board, which leaves Qualcomm the biggest opponent to this idea.
 
...
The main problem with software patents is ...

The problem is software is already protected by copyright, there is no need for more protection with patents. Sherlock Holmes stories are already protected by copyright, it doesn't/shouldnt need more protection to prevent others from writing a detective story.
 
The problem is software is already protected by copyright, there is no need for more protection with patents. Sherlock Holmes stories are already protected by copyright, it doesn't/shouldnt need more protection to prevent others from writing a detective story.
Of course copyright and patent protect very different things.
 
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