Amazon Says Germany Customers Won't Lose Amazon Prime As a Result of Nokia Patent Win 8
A German court has ruled that Amazon's Prime Video service violates a Nokia-owned patent, ordering Amazon to stop streaming in its current form or face fines of 250,000 euros per violation. However, Amazon assured customers in a statement on Friday that there is no risk of losing access to Prime Video because the decision affects only a limited functionality related to casting videos between devices.
"Prime Video will comply with this local judgement and is currently considering next steps. However, there is absolutely no risk at all for customers losing access to Prime Video," Amazon's Prime Video spokesperson told Reuters. Meanwhile, Nokia's chief licensing officer, Arvin Patel, said: "...the innovation ecosystem breaks down if patent holders are not fairly compensated for the use of their technologies, as it becomes much harder for innovators to fund the development of next generation technologies."
"Prime Video will comply with this local judgement and is currently considering next steps. However, there is absolutely no risk at all for customers losing access to Prime Video," Amazon's Prime Video spokesperson told Reuters. Meanwhile, Nokia's chief licensing officer, Arvin Patel, said: "...the innovation ecosystem breaks down if patent holders are not fairly compensated for the use of their technologies, as it becomes much harder for innovators to fund the development of next generation technologies."
Amazon patents (Score:2)
Lets be realistic (Score:1)
Patents fines also make it harder for Bezos to buy a mega-yacht
Wait, a patent on providing info about the movie? (Score:3)
So this is a patent on providing more information about the movie that you can pop up when you ask for more info? How could there possibly be anything about that that isn't prima facia obvious to someone with average skill in the art, other than possibly it not being obvious that anyone would actually want such a feature?
I mean, DVDs had extras back in the early 1990s. This is just a trivial evolution of that idea, just on the Internet, using buttons in the user interface to show or hide the overlays, instead of it being something that you access from the DVD's main menu.
I'm rapidly reaching the conclusion that patents should go away. All they really seem to do is create an old boys' club of big corporate giants that use them to protect their sandbox and prevent competition, plus a constant stream of patent trolls that use them to leech off of big companies.
At the very least, there should be a wealth cap above which you can't hold patents. Individuals should be able to hold them and license them, but not sell them to any company earning above some reasonable market cap. That way, they can still do what they were intended to do, but without all the market distortion.
Re: (Score:2)
I mean, DVDs had extras back in the mid-to-late 1990s.
ftfy
Whoops. Yeah, off a few years. Either way, over 20.
Countdown... (Score:2)
You know your days are numbered when you've reached patent troll level.
Re: (Score:2)
Nokias days were numbered long before..
When their primary business collapsed, they were basically left with the mobile network business and the huge number of patents they had from the time they actually did a lot of engineering and innovation.
both of those braches left seem to be doing "kinda ok"