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Pennsylvania Man Sues Apple Over Web Carousel Use
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Do you know the American TV show "Suits"?
I hope this guy gets "Litt up"!
Reference: http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/suits-you-just-got-litt-up-jumbo-mug/detail.php?p=465806
If he truly owns the patent and has a case, why is he suing Apple and not the hundreds, nay thousands, of other sites using carousel functionality?
My God, we need litigation reform in this country, especially with respect to "intellectual property." The people who legitimately have it spend countless amounts of money defending their rights while people like this guy clog up the court system and impede legitimate cases from being heard.
Can't stop laughing at this one, I think that junk has been around since the 90's. His patent sounds like pure BS, sounds like the guy is broke and just trying to get some money. The Lawyer I'm sure is all over this simply because the guy has a patent, it's Apple and he will ask for 95% of the money for legal fees if this fool gets anything at all which I doubt. As Mr. T would says it best get a job fool!
-Mike
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You said it best indeed!
-Mike
-Mike
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You said it best indeed!
-Mike
I am 99% sure the popular website builder wix.com has a carousel, similar to the one described in the patent, as the stock options for displaying photos. There must now be 1,000s of website using this type of content presentation.
It's possible wix.com is paying some kind of royalty but I doubt it.
It's possible wix.com is paying some kind of royalty but I doubt it.
As a corporate lawyer, my question is why MacRumors deems it necessary to publish stories like this. There is no news value whatsoever to a random plaintiff alleging patent infringement.
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Actually, American courts are quite good at dispensing with meritless lawsuits. Of course, that doesn't stop sites like this one from reporting such suits as if they are newsworthy.
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Actually, American courts are quite good at dispensing with meritless lawsuits. Of course, that doesn't stop sites like this one from reporting such suits as if they are newsworthy.
Radio broadcaster, eh? Time to make some prank phone calls...
Shivers. Look out every single WordPress theme out there!!
Probably because:
- It's hilarious
- It demonstrates the need for patient reform
- It's Apple related
- Why not?
Somebody should take this guy behind the barn and relieve him of his misery.
I've seen it displayed at other websites far before Apple used it.
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I've seen it displayed at other websites far before Apple used it.
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Oh, I can say something about the jurors from the East Texas jurisdiction (yeah, I know this case is from Illinois), but it would make me a statistic that I don't want be associated with. Illinois on the other hand, well I have my reservations about them. If this has been filed in Cook County, God bless us.
Apple isn't the only one who uses a carousel. I'm beginning to think Samsung is funding these frivolous lawsuits against apple in the hopes of spreading apple's legal team thin.
If this is legit, then we've hit a new low folks. The patent system is officially a joke.
If this is legit, then we've hit a new low folks. The patent system is officially a joke.
Apple probably uses Paralegals to handle crap like this. They use the big boys to handle Samsung and FBI stuff. Ridiculous!
Pennsylvania resident Samuel Lit has hit Apple with a lawsuit claiming that the company infringed on his patent for web carousels, according to documents filed in the Northern Illinois District Court (via AppleInsider). Apple's website typically features a homepage with a carousel containing four to five windows displaying its products.
Lit owns U.S. Patent No. 8,793,330, which is a "system and method for displaying graphics, art, text, animation, video and other content." It's described as a "three-dimensional 'Display Carousel' system" that can cycle through its windows in a rotating manner that makes it look like a carousel at a predetermined speed.
The lawsuit claims that Apple's website, which also has a system that cycles through windows in a rotating manner at a predetermined speed, infringes some or all of the 20 claims of the patent. Some of Apple's infringements on Claim 16 include having a "system for displaying content," a "display carousel embedded" into the website, a display engine to deliver the carousel content when its on a web browser, and a database to track how many customers purchase things linked from the carousel.
Lit is seeking "reasonable" royalties with interest. While Lit is a radio broadcaster, he used to work with software systems and engines for Hy Lit Radio Technologies, which was named after his father Hy Lit, another radio broadcaster. He previously attempted to monetize his patent via a website called YourDisplayCarousel.com but the site shut down in December.
Article Link: Pennsylvania Man Sues Apple Over Web Carousel Use
If the fact that this patent was actually granted isn't all the evidence you need that the US patent system is completely broken, and software patents are the worst of it, I don't know what is.
Seriously, some guy in the USPTO sat in front of a filing for a carousel animation on a computer in 2008 and said "yep, this is patentable. Grant it!"
The chances that the examiner him or herself had not personally seen a website, computer interface, or video game using a carousel display like that prior to the patent even being filed are nearly zero. Even if you ignore literally thousands of websites using a carousel like Apple's (heck, I'm fairly certain that I, personally, had at least one prior to 2008), there were video games that used 3D carousel stage-select at least the '90s.
Seriously, some guy in the USPTO sat in front of a filing for a carousel animation on a computer in 2008 and said "yep, this is patentable. Grant it!"
The chances that the examiner him or herself had not personally seen a website, computer interface, or video game using a carousel display like that prior to the patent even being filed are nearly zero. Even if you ignore literally thousands of websites using a carousel like Apple's (heck, I'm fairly certain that I, personally, had at least one prior to 2008), there were video games that used 3D carousel stage-select at least the '90s.
Indeed. He's only suing Apple to set a precedent, before he comes after you.
I'm curious, on what grounds would this case be meritless? If the man has a valid patent and Apple have used the concept doesn't he have a case? If not, then the original patent was pointless, shouldn't have been awarded and looks more like a rip off by the US PTO. There are regular stories about Apple and others getting patents for the most bindingly obvious "inventions", how from a legal and economic standpoint can the behaviour of the PTO be justified?
