Patent holder sues smart phone makers over patents

[Sporkman]

Patent holder sues smart phone makers over patents

Patent holder that won hefty RIM settlement sues other smart phone makers over e-mail patents

NEW YORK (AP) -- The patent-holding company that won a settlement of more than $600 million from the maker of the BlackBerry said Friday it has sued six other makers of phones and phone software.

Patent company NTP Inc. is suing Apple Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., HTC Corp., Motorola Inc. and LG Electronics Inc., claiming infringement of the same patents that were at issue in its suit against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

The suit against RIM ended with a $612.5 million settlement in 2006...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Patent-holder-sues-smart-apf-1989958391.html?x=0

[samalex]

I hate patent trolls. I think if you own a patent and don't use it in your products, you shouldn't have any right to it. In other words you can't own intellectual property unless you make money selling products that use it.

Our patent system jacked up.

Sam

[Penguin Guy]

I think the patent system should be scrapped altogether - it's stupid and childish that you have to pay someone money to use their idea. The government should give prizes for innovative ideas instead.

Note: I am talking about patents only, not copyright.

[V for Vincent]

I think the patent system should be scrapped altogether - it's stupid and childish that you have to pay someone money to use their idea. The government should give prizes for innovative ideas instead.

Note: I am talking about patents only, not copyright.

100% agreed.

[Swagman]

The patent concept was implemented to protect the little inventor against the big boys.

Something has gone wrong... Particularly in the U.S.

[Yarui]

The patent concept was implemented to protect the little inventor against the big boys.

Something has gone wrong... Particularly in the U.S.
This is true. If there were no patent system at all inventors would have no protection from major companies stealing their ideas and destroying their chances of marketing their inventions themselves. Even with patents it can be difficult to win a suit against a major company who has stolen your ideas.

[Devi1903]

We don't have software patent laws here :). It has been abused too much in the US by big companies

[McRat]

IIRC, these patents were never licensed or used by the inventor (who is now dead).

I'm not sure how patents protect the dead anyways unless it's a necromancing patent.

Yes, it's time to return software from whence it came, copyright. If you can't actually write working code with your own patent, then how can that be a invention?

[Excedio]

IIRC, these patents were never licensed or used by the inventor (who is now dead).

I'm not sure how patents protect the dead anyways unless it's a necromancing patent.

Yes, it's time to return software from whence it came, copyright. If you can't actually write working code with your own patent, then how can that be a invention?



NTP was founded by Thomas Campana, an inventor, and Don Stout, a lawyer.


Stout obviously has a stake in the patent.

[McRat]

Stout obviously has a stake in the patent.

I'm going to patent the idea of a high-altitude joke.:p

[rottentree]

i think the patent system should be scrapped altogether - it's stupid and childish that you have to pay someone money to use their idea. The government should give prizes for innovative ideas instead.

Note: I am talking about patents only, not copyright.

+1

[earthpigg]

I think the patent system should be scrapped altogether - it's stupid and childish that you have to pay someone money to use their idea. The government should give prizes for innovative ideas instead.

Note: I am talking about patents only, not copyright.

I mostly agree.

Keep patents, but make them last only for one generation of whatever the device in question is.

So, if its the 1800s and you invent the Revolver pistol... 30 years makes sense.

If it is 2010 and you invent something for a smartphone... two years makes sense.

If it is 2010 and your invention pertains to an operating system... six months or a year makes sense.

And, there needs to be guys in the Patent Office who have the sole job of proving that an invention in question has already been invented - in the same spirit that publicly funded defense lawyers have the job of proving that the publicly funded prosecutor is mistaken in his accusation.

This is to address things like Microsoft patenting gksudo (http://gizmodo.com/5402796/microsoft-patents-the-sudo-command).

This is a possible compromise solution, because the existence of patent laws is pretty set in stone here in the States. Unfortunately.