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Tim Cook: Apple Will Aggressively Protect iPhone Intellectual Property

elppa said:
The surface was demoed after the iPhone.
And before anyone corrects me, I couldn't care less if Microsoft claim they were working on it since 2003, 1993 or 1693, we never saw any evidence of it!
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At NSA, we were using digital scanners years before the civilian world ever heard of the technology. Does that mean they didn't exist ?

Just because everyone don't know everything that people in various R&D fields do, doesn't make the facts any less true.
 
Palm could be going down big time.

Look they were on the brink of collapse so have nothing to loose so they probably think they will take their chances in court.

They may have copied apple IP AND there are lots of former apple emloyees at palm who all could have violated apples NDA's for work they were involved with at apple.

Not looking good for palm...
 
Wait a minute...maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't the Microsoft Surface announced BEFORE the iPhone? In fact, didn't development start before the iPhone? It has pinching swiping, and the whole nine...is Apple implying here that THEY came up with multi-touch?

EDIT: Heh, just looked it up...multi-touch has been around since the 80s--sorry Apple

EDIT AGAIN: Microsoft Surface development began in '01, and agressivly worked on since '04. It was introduced in '07. Yeah, Apple is gonna have a tough time...
 
Impact to Palm on the stock markget

Well, the Palm investors are getting worried. Palm stock is down and its being attributed to Tim Cook's remarks and the fear that Palm is vulnerable.
 
Regarding Wikipedia...

sexyfoolxx said:
The first Surface prototype was in 2003. You're referring to it's unveiling. Multi-touch also dates back to the early 80's. Wikipedia is your friend.
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Maybe, maybe not. It's only as good as the contributors. It's not considered a reliable source; it's fast and easy (and I use it myself), but not always accurate. Don't bet your life or fortune on the entry.

The unveilings were prototypes, and public relations only. Irrelevant for patent law, except that perhaps it started the clock running on a patent application--you get a year from first public reveal--depending on what what shown. Patent law requires you to reduce the invention to practice (make it work), and we don't know if MS did that at that time. That's why having a real product is different. Caveat: we don't know how long either party has spent researching the "inventive step"--the aspect that is the basis of a patent, or submitted provisional patents or continuation patents along the way. All that goes into who's first.
 
Puhlease!

Don't *even* front like the Newton didn't use Palm Computing Inc.'s software technology - and don't think for a second Palm didn't own their own PIM software (includeing a patent for handwriting recognition) bundled onto their own hardware device back when Steve Jobs was still trying to fit his palmtop Newton dream into a suitcase.
 
needthephone said:
Palm could be going down big time.

Look they were on the brink of collapse so have nothing to loose so they probably think they will take their chances in court.

They may have copied apple IP AND there are lots of former apple emloyees at palm who all could have violated apples NDA's for work they were involved with at apple.

Not looking good for palm...
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Ummmm... before they started making thier own handhelds, Palm used to license their PIM software *to* Apple.
I don't think there's any intelectual breach at all going on here. Saying Palm has to copy Apple is like saying Apple has to copy Psystar. Get a grip.
 
Apple's iPhone IP, to me, was what excited me most about all this iPhone/iPod touch business. Not the fact there was a touch screen.
I viewed all of this patented iPhone technology as an assurance that it would be a while before the competition could compete with anything iPhone OS related. This was Apple's BIG advantage.

What I find interesting is that "touch" has become such the buzz word. Reminds me of the effect the iMac had on all things consumer. After those colored iMacs hit the scene, goofy colored plastic crap was the way to go for the next decade. Today, every handset manufacturer, every digital camera, remote, monitor, etc. is touting touch this & touch that. And the funny thing is, touch is only part (and I could argue a lesser part) of what makes the iPhone OS so remarkable & powerful. No, what makes the iPhone so dominant is the integration with all things digital.
Sure, any handset manufacture can make their device require touch input. So what. But does their Mail, Calendar, photos, bookmarks, music player, maps all play nice with their computer back at home?
This is where Apple has a clear advantage over everyone else.
And I think they should defend their patents just as Tim is suggesting. No less.
 
PredatoryWasp86 said:
apple blows so hard

used to be a fan, but the hate is growing stronger with every weak move like this
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"Weak move" like what? What are you talking about? Apple hasn't done anything and yet your hate for them is growing stronger? Oh wait, you hate them because they said that they would defend their IP, ooooh, I smell eeeeeevvvviiiillll. Perhaps they should take the Google route and simply say that their corporate motto is to "do no evil" and then you can start loving them.
 
kdarling said:
At NSA, we were using digital scanners years before the civilian world ever heard of the technology. Does that mean they didn't exist ?

Just because everyone don't know everything that people in various R&D fields do, doesn't make the facts any less true.
Click to expand...

And what are the facts here?

That Microsoft's Surface came before the iPhone cause they started work on it in 2003.

What did Apple do — whip up a capacitive multi-touch screen a week before Steve's keynote?
 
LOL, i'm sure most of these companies have far more records they can use to defend in court

Apple didn't invent multitouch - their marketing would like you to believe it, but they didn't.

And as others have stated, Palm has a ton of patents in the area of PDA's and phones. Apple needs to tread carefully lest it gets the rug pulled out from under its own feet
 
elppa said:
And what are the facts here?

That Microsoft's Surface came before the iPhone cause they started work on it in 2003.

What did Apple do — whip up a capacitive multi-touch screen a week before Steve's keynote?
Click to expand...

And if Apple actually patented it and got it before Surface, you don't think there'd be some stirs out there about it as well?

Companies do keep records of a lot of their things, because patents are a pain to defend without those.

And if the courts find evidence that those things were invented previously by others and were in the public domain, patents may not hold up. Patent law isn't my expertise, but there's a reason why they say not to get a patent unless you're ready to spend tons of money defending it, because it's very costly to maintain a defense of them
 
Steve's only been gone for a week, and here we go. :cool:

Seriously, multi-touch gestures such as "swipe" and "pinch" are such basic instincts. If Apple plans on "defending" every single company that makes use of common sense (i.e. pinching, swiping, etc), they need a bigger legal department.
 
Quillz said:
So you would prefer that Apple became a monopoly in the phone industry? Competition and "iPhone killers" is what's going to keep Apple constantly improving the iPhone.

Trading one monopoly (Microsoft) for another (Apple) is not at all a good idea.
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Well, at least a monopoly with some taste.
 
Why is everyone so threatened by Palm that they assume they are targeted by this response? Why couldn't it be Meizu or Psystar?

I doubt Palm or their legal staff would abuse their competitors' IP. All innovators vigorously defend their patents. This doesn't really qualify as a revelation.
 
seedster2 said:
Why is everyone so threatened by Palm that they assume they are targeted by this response? Why couldn't it be Meizu or Psystar?

I doubt Palm or their legal staff would abuse their competitors' IP. All innovators vigorously defend their patents. This doesn't really qualify as a revelation.
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Yeah, I don't see why Psystar isn't a possible target out of this.

And Palm has had enough patents that i'm sure they'd be careful about intruding on other people's IP. If they did, they wouldn't be around today
 
In regards to Apple vs Palm, like most other cases, if they are both infringing they will sign some agreement to share their technology as it is pointless to win one legal fight only to lose another one to the same company.
 
Patents are a beautiful thing for a company - until somebody yells "prior art". And then they're useless.

Furthermore, especially in an "Apple vs Microsoft" scenario, they won't help Apple at all - because those two companies have a deal that allows each party to use the other's patents.
 
PredatoryWasp86 said:
apple blows so hard

used to be a fan, but the hate is growing stronger with every weak move like this
Click to expand...

I pray you aren't in law enforcement. You've already convicted Apple before the first cease and desist letter has been drafted. What makes you so sure iPhone patents are the highest priority? As someone else mentioned, Psystar [sic] is probably more at risk for being sued.

Palm has created what has the potential to be a compelling product, but I'm not necessarily convinced it violates any of Apple's patents. Outside of a couple of gestures that appear somewhat similar, the Pre has a fairly unique interface that may be reminiscent of iPhone's yet distinguishable enough that it's fairly easy to see the difference.
 
apple has lots of patents covering multi touch and the iphone. I don't know the specifics of them.

patents are very specific and to get them all the PRIOR ART is considered so if they were granted a patent then the touch surface and all these other things you mention would be considered by the patent examiners.

Patents aren't just given away. To get one is very very difficult as committees of experts in the field spend months trawling through old patents, journals etc trying to establish if it is indeed new. When apples patents were granted they would have gone through all that is mentioned on this thread.

If apples patents have been breached (and do you know what is covered and what is not- I don't) then they can be defended.

It's pointless speculating here but the fact remains that palm recruited lots of apple employees and they knew what apple was working on. apple will try to show that these ex employees took apples IP (and this IP doesn't have to be patented by apple, it is stuff apple was working on whilst they were employed by apple) then this is also ilegal.

Palm will have a fight on their hands, no doubt.

I'm just saying it as it is. No axe to grind. I have no apple or palm shares and if this pre is that good then I'll get one.

I will bet good money that palm will have a writ served by apple as soon as it goes on sale. The legal threat could have ramifications on anybody who tries to sell or distribute it so there will be a lot of fear around being part of it until the court case settles. These third parties won't want to be embroiled in a someone elses fight and risk loosing lots of money.

But I strongly believe that anyones IP is the most valuable asset on earth and it should be defended.
 
Think in Apples point of view.
They spent millions in R&D to get it just right. It costs other companies thousands to copy it. Just being first at the market doesn't justify the R&D costs. That is why they are going after people who copied their concepts.

Lets just look at the swipe effect. The programming for that effect is rather easy, get the acceleration of your pointer device at the time then slow down the scrolling until you get a smooth stop. This can be done by any kid programmer with High School level math.
However for Apple first they needed to find a problem, see how this idea would be useful in solving it. Then a lot of perfections to get it right, the right speed and deceleration make it smooth but feel controllable. A lot of work for a simple to implement feature.
 
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