ITC Rules For Apple in Patent Case, Bans Some HTC Imports [Update: HTC Responds]

[Consultant]

Just build the phone and let the consumers decide. Chances are they will still want the best phone which is the iPhone. Just let the people make the choice not the courts. These patents aren't make or break patents.

Ever heard of R&D? Patents actually enables MORE CHOICES from better innovations:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2011/08/09/are-software-patents-evil/

 

[Bernard SG]

Ridiculous. Apple's patent was proved invalid by someone on the internet - why was this evidence not brought to the court?

Think before you post, dude...

 

[Plutonius]

Update: In a statement given to BGR, HTC says it is "well prepared for this decision, and our designers have created alternate solutions for the '647 patent."

Why didn't they implement this initially ? Is it easier to copy and hope that you don't get caught ?

 

[Consultant]

However, what's worrisome about patents like this one, is that it must've been obvious enough for someone at Google or HTC to independently come up with the same method.

Sure. They've never heard about the iPhone. They must have came up with the same ideas due to them not copying Apple. 🙄

 

[Laird Knox]

Ridiculous. Apple's patent was proved invalid by someone on the internet - why was this evidence not brought to the court?

LOL that is the funniest thing I have read in a long time! Alright, all you lawyers, judges and clerks just stop what you are doing. "Someone" on the interwebs has it all figured out!

 

[LagunaSol]

In 2007 Steve got up on stage, having come completely out of left field with a landmark product and declared "boy have we patented it!" This goes for most of Apple's products.

Fair warning. Apple's version of the patent game was never any secret.

Google either thought he was kidding or could get around it by giving Android away "for free." 🙄

 

[inlovewithi]

So what the patent covers is for example bringing up the dialer when you tap a number string that could be a phone number?

 

[HiRez]

Just build the phone and let the consumers decide. Chances are they will still want the best phone which is the iPhone. Just let the people make the choice not the courts. These patents aren't make or break patents.

All these fines and damages and legal fees add up, and put more pressure on Android device manufacturers who are already operating under thin profit margins. It's not going to put HTC out of business, but anything that hurts their bottom line isn't good.

 

[Mochi Hana]

Just build the phone and let the consumers decide. Chances are they will still want the best phone which is the iPhone. Just let the people make the choice not the courts. These patents aren't make or break patents.

I agree with this. Just let the people decide what they want.

 

[samcraig]

The ban is full of sound and fury, Signifying [almost] nothing.

HTC will update their devices with an alternative. There won't be any actual "ban"

 

[Icaras]

I agree with this. Just let the people decide what they want.

Yea lets just throw away innovation and the law to the side. Who needed those anyway?

 

[AJH1993]

Yea lets just throw away innovation and the law to the side. Who needed those anyway?

No, how about we throw away cry baby lawsuits?

 

[BaldiMac]

The ban is full of sound and fury, Signifying [almost] nothing.

HTC will update their devices with an alternative. There won't be any actual "ban"

Almost nothing? The threat of the ban appears to have convinced them to stop violating the patents that they were found to violate. Isn't that the point?

 

[divinox]

So to summarize, Apple lost all the patents against HTC, but won only 2 claims, AND it's only on some HTC devices AND it takes effect only in the end of April AND HTC just said that their "designers have created alternate solutions for the ‘647 patent."

So what did Apple win here ?

EDIT link : http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-f...devices-will-be-banned-import-come-april-2012

They won the "Hey, lets come out looking like retards to the entire tech. community (sans LTD et al.)" award.

 

[AJH1993]

Almost nothing? The threat of the ban appears to have convinced them to stop violating the patents that they were found to violate. Isn't that the point?

Why is Apple entitled to these patents?

 

[linuxcooldude]

Yea lets just throw away innovation and the law to the side. Who needed those anyway?

Or let another company spend all their time and money for R&D and implement these changes into our own design when they come out with them.

 

[divinox]

So what the patent covers is for example bringing up the dialer when you tap a number string that could be a phone number?

Yes. Completely ignoring the fact that phones (and computers) did this long before the iPhone was unveiled.

 

[samcraig]

Almost nothing? The threat of the ban appears to have convinced them to stop violating the patents that they were found to violate. Isn't that the point?

First - you're assuming that they knew they were in violation of a patent in the first place.

And the point of the lawsuit was to get them to stop. The ban was the result. That's the point.

(edited for clarification)

 

[513]

White & Case attorney Bijal Vakil :
“I don’t see today’s ruling as a game changer,” he said, adding that one or both parties can appeal the case to a federal court and that HTC could also seek a further stay of the ruling, pending that appeal."

So what, is it going to take one year for those stupid 2 claims to take effect ?

Do you still see a win ?

 

[BaldiMac]

Why is Apple entitled to these patents?

https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/47/

 

[divinox]

Or let another company spend all their time and money for R&D and implement these changes into our own design when they come out with them.

All their time and money? Come on. I wrote a J2ME app back when i was in school that did this using (server-side) regex. Took me less than a day. And, my idea was hardly novel. In fact, i'd used it way prior to that for web development, inspired by its use elsewhere. From the looks of it, the patent is nonsensical (then again, most software patents are).

 

[BaldiMac]

First - you're assuming that they knew they were in violation of a patent in the first place.

No, I'm not.

And the point of the lawsuit was to get them to stop. Not the ban. That's the point.

Exactly.

 

[AJH1993]

https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/47/

That's OK. You can ignore the question.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Name ONE of Apple's patents that hasn't been filed in order to sue other smartphone manufacturers.

Name them yourself. The nearly 800 granted patents this year is listed at LatestPatents.com.

Since 2004 it's rather clear Apple's nearly 4,000 patents granted is more than just smart phones, ipods, ipads and the like.

 

[divinox]

So, out of the original ten patents that Apple tried to use against HTC, which later got knocked down to about four, they prevailed only on one that is of comparatively low value, which can be gotten around or removed before a ban takes place.

--

Computers have supported discovery of phone numbers, email addresses, etc in a document for a very long time. On phones, Blackberrys have been doing it for years.

All this patent is about, is one particular way of doing that, and that should be fine.

However, it must've been obvious enough for someone at Google or HTC to independently come up with the same method. Heck, just look at how many close previous references are listed in the patent, most from Microsoft. Hmm. I wonder if they could license HTC a different way...

That seems like the logical conclusion, given the extensive prior art. Still, how something like that is even patentable is beyond me. Either way you look at it, its a friggin Lasagna recipe.

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Why didn't they implement this initially ? Is it easier to copy and hope that you don't get caught ?

Or, they just happened to implement the same solution Apple did. You know, it would take less time to actually implement this on your own, than going through Apples patent portfolio looking for their exact implementation.