Microsoft, Apple Both Targeted in Patent Lawsuit

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most important, one of their ex-ceo and founder is in jail pending trail because he refuses to hand over the remaining shares to the people (shady ones I might add) that he owns money to...
e.g. the company needs money, thus they try to take it in any means possible.
 
Yet another skirmish in the never-ending software patent war. I predict that in the future, software engineering will be in the domain of the legal department instead of the math/computer science department.
 
Let me see, they patented : "A mean to stream audio and video content through the internet" and now they're ready to reap the money others made from their "technology".
 
I clicked on the link to the Reuters article. Very little information available. This is not the first patent infringement claim related to video streaming. The first one I remember involved Acacia. That would have been 6 or 7 years ago. I don't know the final outcome of that one.
 
Why is everyone in a suing mood lately. I'm actually sick of these smaller companies crying. Everyone doesn't copy all of your technology. Just make better products instead of trying to sue someone that didn't do anything.
 
[citation][nom]m-manla[/nom]Why is everyone in a suing mood lately. I'm actually sick of these smaller companies crying. Everyone doesn't copy all of your technology. Just make better products instead of trying to sue someone that didn't do anything.[/citation]

Because intellectual property is usually not permanent - you can't just register your trademark, or apply for a patent, and then forget that it exists. In order to maintain your rights, you are legally required to defend them. That's why Apple sued a company a couple of years ago for using an apple symbol that bore almost no resemblance to the Apple logo for trademark infringement. If companies don't take these steps to defend their IP rights - including the use of civil suits - they run a very real risk of losing them.

I agree that a lot of these small companies seem like they're just hoping to get a big payout, but that isn't always the case.
 
I can just see it now, we meet up with an alien race with technology hundreds of years in advance of ours if not thousands, then no soon do we sign a treaty, than a bunch of money grubbing aliens are suing everyone on Earth for infringing on their intellectual Property. Cause it stands to reason that they would have already developed everything we have, but years before we ever dreamed of doing so.

Now that would be messed up!
 
I think the bigger question is why is the patent office handing out patents for vague generalities like

"A thing that you touch with your body that does stuff in response"

If you grant someone a patent that describes every input device ever made or every method of data transmission in use on earth, etc. than what else would you expect but all hell to break loose.
 
[citation][nom]milktea[/nom]People can sue each other's pants off for Patent Infringement, as long as it doesn't cost the tax payer.[/citation]
It's more likely to affect product prices, not taxes. The companies pay all the fees, damages, etc
 
I've come to realize that it isn't the craziness of the legal system behind intellectual property (IP - meaning patents, copyrights, trademarks, and so forth) that we need to be discussing, as it is negative and counterproductive.

Instead, I'd like to see a positive discussion - what is IP, when should it be awarded, and why or why not should it be that way? Of course, this "knee-jerk" response comment system is not the place to have such a debate, but the constant whining/crying "the legal system for IP is broken" is so old that it is really becoming cliche.
 
It does cost the "tax payer". When we buy thier products, a little bit goes towards the legal department which gets paid regardless of the lawsuit outcome.
 
if only there was a way to tell whether a company had really copied or reverse engineered a patent protected IP or just simply come up with it themselves.
 
[citation][nom]matt87_50[/nom]if only there was a way to tell whether a company had really copied or reverse engineered a patent protected IP or just simply come up with it themselves.[/citation]
It doesn't matter...that's the point of having a patented product. Though alot of times I feel that software companies like to patent the IDEA...
 
[citation][nom]psycho sykes[/nom]Since when did Israel actually do anything beneficial? The last time I checked it was never![/citation]way more then you think. you just don't check.
 
Haha. I think psycho is the greeter at my local Walmart so don't blame him for being ignorant.

When I worked on a project with Lotus/IBM back in early 2000s, my eyes were opened to just how much technology was coming from Israel.

When you wonder how/why, a little Googling will reveal:
- They have highest ratio of college degrees per population in the world
- They file the third most patents in the world
- They are ranked #2 for venture capital right behind good 'ole USA

As far as tech, more Googling will show you:
- They have second highest # of high-tech companies besides Silicon Valley
- Cell phone was first developed by Motorola-Israel facilities
- Most of WinNT was done in Microsoft-Israel facilities
- Pentium MMX was designed in Intel-Israel facilities
- Both MS and Cisco have their first non-US R&D facilities there

etc. etc.

Of course they get tons of US aid but so do many other countries that just have welfare states.

Not saying this suit is legit by any means (as many have said, these suits are a dime-a-dozen), and software patent infringement is super sticky biz, but ignorance...well it seems right up your alley 😉

(but we do neet Walmart greeters so I digress)
 
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