In UK, HTC Defeats Apple's "Obvious" Slide Unlock Patent 165
An anonymous reader writes "In a move that is likely to have wide-ranging implications for patent rulings around the world, a High Court Judge in the UK has ruled that HTC did not infringe on a number if Apple's patents. 'He said Apple's slide-to-unlock feature was an "obvious" development in the light of a similar function on an earlier Swedish handset.' Two other patents that Apple had claimed were infringed were ruled invalid, while a third was found not to apply to HTC. A statement from the Taiwanese firm said: 'HTC is pleased with the ruling, which provides further confirmation that Apple's claims against HTC are without merit. We remain disappointed that Apple continues to favour competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace.' Apple declined to comment on the specifics of the case. Instead it re-issued an earlier statement, saying: 'We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.'" This after a similar victory for HTC in a different venue, when Apple's request for an injunction on some HTC devices was rejected in the U.S.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:5, Insightful)
Can we please.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Just end all software or method patents?
This is the problem and until it is fixed more of this sillyness will happen.
Re:Dupe -- less than 24 hours ago (Score:4, Insightful)
But this is a new day, and a whole new chance to bitch about lawyers and patents! If the masses don't get their Two Minutes Hate, they might actually start thinking, and we can't have that!
Follow the hivemind! Corporations are bad!
Apple stole ideas from Android (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is not nearly as innovative as the fanboyz think. Apple just protecting it's IP? Apple is stealing the IP from Android.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-ios-5-copied-android-2012-5#notifications-appear-at-a-bar-at-the-top-1
Re:Apple stole ideas from Android (Score:4, Insightful)
And a good thing it is that they did it. Can you imagine if someone had patented the layout of the pedals in a car? You'd have to relearn driving every time you got into a different brand car. "Slide to unlock" is a user interface convention, not an invention. Other manufacturers don't do it because it's such an ingenious way of unlocking a phone. They do it to avoid confusing their users. And the same is true for putting notifications where users expect them.
Re:Dupe -- less than 24 hours ago (Score:5, Insightful)
As I've said before [slashdot.org], it's not that lawyers do so many stupid things. By and large, they don't. Rather, Slashdot (and other news outlets) reports on the few stupid things to get reactions from people, because a rousing discussion is more profitable than objective journalism.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple doesn't understand the meaning of "copycat" at least not in the sense of when they do/did it.
Younger Steve Jobs understood the importance of copycats in the market place... too bad older and now dead Steve no longer understand it. No matter. It will all result in something good for the market eventually and Apple will exhaust the patience of the judiciary of all nations and eventually win some legislation and perhaps some patent reforms around the world to prevent "everyone" from doing what Apple is doing.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:2, Insightful)
The thing that will erode Apple's margin is when users realize they get the same sweatshop hardware for 10x the price from them.
Re:Apple stole ideas from Android (Score:5, Insightful)
Unless the Android notification bar is patented, Apple has very legal right to copy it.
It's probably legal(and, in a great many of these cases, it is hard to feel warm and fuzzy about the quality of the patents that are being held as making certain duplication illegal...); but it's hard to argue that it is innovative. The two are largely orthogonal issues.
I wouldn't be inclined to say that cross-platform adoption of good UI elements is a bad thing for users; but I would say that there is only so much copying one can do while still having a right to a mystique of innovation...
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:5, Insightful)
What exactly in the iPhone is new or novel? Everything done in it has been done in other phones before it, all they did was package up everyone else's innovations make it pretty and slap a logo on it and claim they invented the phone market. Slide to unlock was as obvious as it gets when your dealing with a touch screen. How would you propose you unlock a smart phone?
I guess they need to listen to their same line of not stealing others tech, because that's precisely what they did when they made the iPhone.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:4, Insightful)
They made everything better. AND they sold the Sizzle, not the steak.
This is what the haters will never understand. All they see is 6oz bacon wrapped Filet, and say "I could do that cheaper" after looking at the $60 price tag. But what they mean is they can do a 12 oz Flank Steak on a BBQ for $6. It isn't the same.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:5, Insightful)
a car analogy to counter.
nobody but ferrari can make a ferrari..
but pininfarina still made the nicest designs and some of the nicest were done for alfa romeo and all italians have the same shit electronics bought from the same shit suppliers.
apple has sold others parts as their own inventions ever since 6502, only sprinkled with "magic" and claiming that anyone who buys the same parts from the same outside inventors/manufacturers is a stealer.
your steak analogy isn't that good either because it would have to be a 120$ steak served on a silver platter while the restaurant next door had filet mignon with bacon for 60$- only done properly(not wrapped) and with sauce of your choosing and fries instead of pickled dicks.
Re:Someone might want to tell HTC (Score:4, Insightful)
And now the Apple shills...
It's a bullshit patent. In a proper patent system, the patent would never have been granted.
Re:Patents laws (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm sure they differ, as you are about to become part of the problem.