Apple Forces Google To Degrade Android Features

walterbyrd writes "The latest in the ridiculous saga of the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, which has resulted in Samsung phones and tablets being banned from sale in the U.S. is that Samsung, with the help of Google, has been pushing out an over-the-air software update to make its phones worse. Yes, the OTA update is designed to take away a feature, in an effort to convince the judge that the phones no longer violate Apple's patents. The feature in question? The ability to do a single search that covers both the local device and the internet."

Do net cheer any software patent victories...

[SuperKendall]

This is just the kind of software patent that really strikes fear into smaller developers, since it's a technique that comes to mind naturally (I've had search boxes that have done mixed kinds of searches for decades).

I have never cheered "victories" even from companies I like, for any software patents... these truly are things that need to be abolished as patentable.

At this point though, I do not think the international community will allow it unless we get some REALLY strong support from government...

Re:six hundred dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

If Samsung's profit margins are so slim on those devices that they cannot afford a few pennies for this patent, they are doing something wrong.

Can you be a bit more explicit about what you think this license fee is? And preferably cite a source for it? Because my understanding - and I'm happy to be shown wrong - is that Apple is suing not for a fee but to prevent the features being used.

Re:Kill Patents

[jkrise]

Firstly, this article is about the tussle between Apple and Samsung's Android offerings. I very clearly remember that Apple started the mindlessness vs Samsung first.

Google was not directly sued by Apple, but the suits against Samsung and HTC were enough motivation for Google to acquire MMI and take some counter action.

Re:Kill Patents

[Anonymous Coward]

People seem to forget that Motorola AKA Google's mobile division has threaten to sue people over patents that they agreed to license under FRAND.

You're just not going to stop trying to force the "AKA Google's mobile division" misinformation down our throats, are you? No matter how much we know it's wrong?

No, please, come take a little trip with me down to the magical world of "history". Yes, to the far, faaaaaaar, distant times of "before your ADD-addled pop culture brain can remember". A whole YEAR ago! Now, when did Google purchase Motorola Mobility? No, try again. No, no, the correct answer is they haven't yet. Now, when did Motorola Mobility start the FRAND nonsense? Was this before or after Google bought them?

No, wrong. Think harder. Let's use some of that so-called geek cred for something other than rattling off the specifics of each WoW expansion's patches. Like, say, logic. If Google hasn't yet purchased... yes, I said logic. Yes, "logic". You remember those college classes you took on basic logic? ...you didn't. You were a liberal arts major. And why did you... so you could have more time to watch movies and TV. I see. Well, can you use whatever excuse for reasoning you DO have and determine that if Google hasn't yet purchased them, was the FRAND nonsense before or after...

Okay, no, quoting Celebrity Jeopardy lines is not a valid answer. No, I'm not going to address you as Sean Connery. No, quoting The Big Lebowski doesn't count, nor does any of Kevin Smith's movies. Look, if you don't have the attention span to carry on an intelligent conversation without getting distracted like that, maybe you shouldn't be straining yourself to try to contain the news in that apparently great big brain of yours. Critical analysis of basic cause and effect might take some time away from learning new pop culture references. *sigh* No, dipshit, I don't care that the word "analysis" has the word "anal" in it.

Re:Kill Patents

[Tough Love]

No, Apple sued first. The fact that Apple sued a different Android vendor than Motorola is immaterial, it was still a direct troll patent attack on Android.

2010, Mar 02: Apple sues HTC over 10 patents and files an ITC complaint against HTC over 10 other patents. [wikipedia.org]

Re:Kill Patents

[Trolan]

Now, when did Google purchase Motorola Mobility? No, try again. No, no, the correct answer is they haven't yet.

*BZZT* Thank you for playing. The answer we were looking for was: "What is May 22, 2012?" http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/weve-acquired-motorola-mobility.html [blogspot.com]

Re:Kill Patents

[Teun]

I see a couple of points re. the de-facto relation between MS and Apple that I agree with. These guys have a long standing truce, from around the time Apple helped MS make the Windows GUI and MS pledged to supply a MAC version of Office.

To name the most obvious.

Re:Kill Patents

[srw]

I think you need to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. If, as requested by the AC poster, we travel back in time with him/her to a year ago... May 22, 2012 hasn't happened yet.

Re:six hundred dollars?

[FloydTheDroid]

Really? If you think Samsung is some kind of angel then you're sadly mistaken because they've demanded their fair share of danegelds - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung#Price_cartels [wikipedia.org]

Re:six hundred dollars?

[clintp]

Not Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling:

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
    To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
    Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
    And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
    And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
    To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
    We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
    But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
    You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
    For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
    You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
    No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
    And the nation that pays it is lost!"
-- Rudyard Kipling, 1911

Re:six hundred dollars?

[canajin56]

Unless they've changed position after Jobs died, their policy is "Even if we go bankrupt, we will DESTROY Android, we will put every manufacturer out of business. We invented cellphones and we will not negotiate with thieves and pirates". Jobs himself is on record saying he would rather die than allow Android to exist. And let nobody say he doesn't accomplish what he sets out to do.

Re:six hundred dollars?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have used OSX. IT sucks. Big time. Really a poor excuse for an OS. Unless all you know how to do is click on an icon and open something.

And corporate greed rears it's ugly head yet again. Instead of letting inovation run wild, it screws it's customers. How? By charging 10 times what it's worth and cornering the market on... what? A search? U have got to be kidding.

Not that they're the only ones. Everyone in this field is guilty but Apple seems to be the worst. And getting worse by the minute. And the mac users are sitting back and smiling without a clue as to how it makes a mess out of everything. And ends up costing them even more.

Re:Prior art

[HarrySquatter]

How can Google Chrome be prior art to a patent that was filed 4 years before Chrome existed?

Re:Kill Patents

[Kartu]

Apple helped MS make the Windows GUI

Uhm, what? You mean they both "stole" GUI idea from Xerox?