Wait, Did Apple Just Patent the Ultrabook?

[svdb]

You can't patent the shape of a generic laptop (despite how thin it is) any more than you can patent the shape of a generic car: 4 wheel, a hood, a trunk, an engine in front or in the back, any number of seats, etc.
It's not because you own a patent that it can be enforced. Patents can also be revoked. There have been cases where a judge, with more reason than what the the patent office seem to have, rejected the lawsuits entirely.

 

[freggo]

I am so tired of even hearing the name Apple that I have switched to eating more Bananas.

Sad thing is that I manage a Beatles website, and so 'Apples' are part of my daily work

 

[southernshark]

I am in the processing of filing a new patent for "...stuff made out of metal and / or plastic and/ other stuff."

 

[venur]

well then can I patent humanity and sew everyone else that make a baby ?

 

[teh_chem]

[citation][nom]venur[/nom]well then can I patent humanity and sew everyone else that make a baby ?[/citation]
That would take a lot of thread.

 

[jesh4622]

Hey Apple. Die in a fire.

 

[nebun]

[citation][nom]ohim[/nom]This is like out of a SF movie ... an evil corporation controls the planet ... Apple banning everything trough patents.[/citation]
not really...if other companies had the idea then how come they did not make it a reality?...because the couldn't...i really like how everyone gets mad at Apple....without Apple the portable PC and smartphone market would be very stagnant....take a look at Googles Android OS....i am still waiting for my ICS, while Apple has managed to release at least another iOS and a few updates for it

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]jurassic512[/nom]Only in America. smh[/citation]
You know patent might have been granted in the US but I do remember multiple European countries banning products that compete against Apple based on the shape so you aren't innocent, your judges are just as stupid, have fun with that

 

[rantoc]

[citation][nom]robochump[/nom]Lol...You mean the Acer's S3 Ultrabook? Which came out after MB Air and looks exactly like a MB Air?!? Apple haters are funny. Y'all just hating because Apple is a huge successful company. You haters make it seem like Apple is forcing you to buy only their stuff!?! Wow, what happened to being proud of your own US company?!? Japan never dumps on their own Corps. They support them. Sad really.[/citation]

Yeah, but the Japan company's aren't working more in the patent office trying to block competition than working on their own products and gain respect that way. Its a huge difference. A business entity that tries to block all competition by abusing a flawed legal system is nothing to be proud of is it?

The sad part is all the iSheeps who can't open the eyes and see where this is heading. After a huge patent war between most major corps there will be one or two left with no room for new grow ups and you claimed they don't try to force you into purchasing their products... hypocrisy to say the least!

 

[rantoc]

[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]You know patent might have been granted in the US but I do remember multiple European countries banning products that compete against Apple based on the shape so you aren't innocent, your judges are just as stupid, have fun with that[/citation]

They even accepted an Apple photoshoped picture as evidence so much for legal "justice".

 

[drchemist]

**BREAKING NEWS**
Today the patent office has just granted Apple the patent for Pancreatic Cancer. They claim the invention and design of a cell with a round shape which grows without control in the pancreas. People all around the US are being banned from treatment in the US by Judge Koh as a preliminary injunction.

 

[Russosaur]

If apple sued intel,that is advancing in dangerous waters for them. Is it not possible intel would stop making cpu's for them??? And in the macbook air they rely on the cpu as well as the intel HD graphics. That could really hurt apple...

I didn't think they used the Intel HD Graphics, I thought they relied on Nvidia/AMD GPU's. I still don't like the idea's of Ultrabooks, they are already too expensive then if apple wants basically dominate the market for them its going to be double what a Win7 Ultrabook would be.

 

[acerace]

You know patent might have been granted in the US but I do remember multiple European countries banning products that compete against Apple based on the shape so you aren't innocent, your judges are just as stupid, have fun with that

U mad Americans?

 

[livebriand]

Now this is stupid - they rely on Intel components, so they go and screw over Intel's partners. Just like how they're suing Samsung, the same company that provides lots of the components they use in their products...

Put simply, they just gave me another reason to justify not buying their products.

 

[Guest]

Yeah... Apple invented thin and light laptops... hahaha... thin and light laptops existed when Apple didn't even dream about them!
Sharp Actius MM10/ MM20 circa year 2000. Fanless, thinner than any Air to date.
May want to do some research Douglas.

 

[kg4icg]

This will not stand up under a patent lawsuit for the reason this patent shoulder have not been granted. Prior art going back to 2004 with the Sony Vaio. Also prior art can be proved on the iPad design going back to 2001 with MS tablets.

 

[94_xj]

[citation][nom]Pinhedd[/nom]Yeah really... Don't bite the hand that feeds[/citation]

You mean like suing Samsung...the company that makes all of the chips for your mobile devices? They'll bit whatever hand is in front of them.

 

[Guest]

If a mere shape is patentable, how are we to stop people to patent common shape like a rectangle, box, can drink etc etc? This just shows the patent office is run by morons, or get paid under the table by trolls such as Apple. Somebody should launch an investigation to see how this office actually work and whether they violate the public trust.

Also, even if a shape is patentable, if I change the dimension by even a slight 0.01mm, the court SHOULD hold that this is no longer a violation. That will shows all the patent trolls that trying to patent SHAPE is pointless and stop wasting money of this.

 

[robochump]

[citation][nom]patentmustdie[/nom]If a mere shape is patentable, how are we to stop people to patent common shape like a rectangle, box, can drink etc etc? This just shows the patent office is run by morons, or get paid under the table by trolls such as Apple. Somebody should launch an investigation to see how this office actually work and whether they violate the public trust.Also, even if a shape is patentable, if I change the dimension by even a slight 0.01mm, the court SHOULD hold that this is no longer a violation. That will shows all the patent trolls that trying to patent SHAPE is pointless and stop wasting money of this.[/citation]

Lol, its the design as a whole. Lexus recently patented the shape of its new grill (hour glass). Get with it people and the Apple haters are silly hipsters.

 

[robochump]

[citation][nom]patentmustdie[/nom]If a mere shape is patentable, how are we to stop people to patent common shape like a rectangle, box, can drink etc etc? This just shows the patent office is run by morons, or get paid under the table by trolls such as Apple. Somebody should launch an investigation to see how this office actually work and whether they violate the public trust.Also, even if a shape is patentable, if I change the dimension by even a slight 0.01mm, the court SHOULD hold that this is no longer a violation. That will shows all the patent trolls that trying to patent SHAPE is pointless and stop wasting money of this.[/citation]

Lol. Its the overall design that is patent-able. Lexus recently patented the shape of a car grill (hour glass). There is a great reason to patent shapes because the design is a mark of a brand. To not understand the reason behind it is simple ignorance.

Also Apple hatin' hipsters are funny.

 

[jimmysmitty]

[citation][nom]andystanley[/nom]If apple sued intel,that is advancing in dangerous waters for them. Is it not possible intel would stop making cpu's for them??? And in the macbook air they rely on the cpu as well as the intel HD graphics. That could really hurt apple...[/citation]

This is true but Intel doesn't make specific CPUs for Apple. Apple, like all OEMs, buys certain CPUs in bulk and creates their products around them. But again, they could easily do like they did to Samsung, as they used to use Samsung based CPUs in iPhones/iPads, and start their own CPUs and migrate OSX to it.

Of course this would be much harder and also a much dumber action to take but I would not put it past Apple as they want to destroy Android and I am sure PC as well.

[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]You know patent might have been granted in the US but I do remember multiple European countries banning products that compete against Apple based on the shape so you aren't innocent, your judges are just as stupid, have fun with that[/citation]

And sadly enough, with doctored photos. It was against the SGSII and SG Tab. It was shown that Apple doctored the photos to make the Tab and GSII more closley resemble the iPhone/iPad but they still ruled against Samsung which honestly is beyond me because if its found that they used false evidence, that should be means to throw the entire case out.

And honestly, its just because Apple is afraid of competition. They can't truly compete on a fair playing field. Hell they got sued by Creative for the GUI based MP3 player, the iPod was not the first the Creative Zen was. And sadly the Zen was a superior product but Apple had the marketing behind it while Creative did not.

 

[jimmysmitty]

[citation][nom]robochump[/nom]Lol, its the design as a whole. Lexus recently patented the shape of its new grill (hour glass). Get with it people and the Apple haters are silly hipsters.[/citation]

This is not the same. They may have patented the design as to what the grill may do. For example, I would agree with a patent for Ford on the 2013 Fusion that has a grill that at high speeds will close to allow for better aerodynamics.

But what Apple did was they patented a shape then they doctored photos of the Samsung Galaxy SII nd Tab and presented them as evidence. That alone is foul play:

http://www.techspot.com/news/45097-did-apple-doctor-evidence-in-samsung-patent-suit.html

Notice how in the image the look pretty similar but the Samsung Tab has a different aspect ratio, by .16 to be exact. Apple sued based on the fact that it looked similar and with the proper picture, it doesn't. But just suing alone because it looks the same is crap. All tablets are going to be rectangular.

Even better:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwebwereld.nl%2Fnieuws%2F107599%2Fapple-levert-onjuist-bewijs-in-zaak-tegen-samsung.html

Also notice how it doesn't even look the same as the photo presented by Apple as evidence. It doesn't have the glossy dark black border, its more of a grey than black.

 

[A Bad Day]

Oh, I'd love to see Intel get pissed over this when Apple starts torching their customers.

 

[GhosT94]

unless ARM makes x86 processor apple wont sue Intel/AMD their apple's supplier for processors

 

[A Bad Day]

I seriously doubt ARM will "downgrade" (in their point of view) to an unfamiliar architecture. If Apple dumps x86 and goes for ARM, then Intel's supply of CPUs aren't needed.

All they need is will, as they have more money than the US government...