Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

[oion]

DailyTech - Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

Say what?

..the latest ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on a key touch patent is a flat-out win for Apple, and a surprise win at that.
...
Of course Apple didn't invent any of these things -- multitouch and heuristics for detected angular swipes were available on older resistive touch screens. However, modern phones don't use resistive touch. The current state of U.S. technology patents allows you to repatent virtually identical firmware on a new kind of hardware.
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Now the entire industry has shifted to capacitive multitouch -- so aside from those that have licensing agreements with Apple, essentially every other smartphone/tablet on the market is in violation of Apple's patent. Last quarter the International Data Corp. (IDC) reported that Android represented roughly four out of every five smartphone sales -- so Apple now has the legal firepower to go after most smartphones sold in the U.S., including Samsung's best-selling Galaxy lineup.

Translation---Android is whooping Apple's ass in the smartphone sector by free market principles so Apple somehow gets a patent win (a "surprise win" according to this) and Android manufacturers are banned from using... capacitive multitouch screens. Ouch.

But it gets better.

The Real Winner? Windows Phone

On the other hand the verdict may have an unexpected side effect. Android OEMs do have one clear escape route -- abandon Android for Windows Phone, a third party platform that's sheltered by Apple's licensing pact with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT). Given that Samsung is already paying licensing fees on non-Windows Phone devices to Microsoft, such a move could also make financial sense.

So the biggest winner of this surprising development may be Microsoft.

Huh.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Sheesh! I just don't Apple's strategy. They seem to be singularly dedicated to self-destruct. It also shows that Apple does not have any product development depth, which was rather obvious in light of their recent iPhone 5 release and their impending iPad 5 release.

 

[The White Falcon]

Well, they did invent the stuff.... or at least, they bought Fingerworks, who had all the patents. I imagine if you invented something and then people started ripping you off you'd be pretty upset.

HTC would be exempted from any ban, as they already have a licensing agreement with Apple for the same patents.

One other thing is that while Android has marketshare, it's not a moneymaker. Google is still losing billions due to Motorola, and the only Android OEM really making any money is Samsung. Everyone else is losing cash or making a pittance. Apple, on the other hand, is making money hand over fist due to excellent profit margins.

 

[beman39]

Apple is so sad, seriously they're always trying to sue somebody over patents they didn't invent but stole from other inventors/patents like Samsung, Microsoft and so many others I can't/won't get into... and all the biography's of steve jobs and about apple they admit it openly! just look for some interesting quotes from steve and the thieves... lol

 

[Frobon]

I think it's been quite clear for a while that the US patent system is non- functional. It works about as well as a North Korean smart phone.

At some point they're going to have to fix it or the rest of the world is going to have to cut it loose like a diseased limb.

 

[Arizona Willie]

I won't have an Apple product in my house.