macnn

07/02/2008, 3:45am, EDT

Wednesday, July 2nd

Apple, Dell, others sued over tech patents [u]

Apple, along with Acer, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, are faced with a new patent violation suit in the "plaintiff-friendly" Eastern District of Texas, a new report says. The suit is being brought by Saxon Innovations (site under construction), an intellectual property licensing company. Saxon claims that the defendants violated its "Wireless Communications Privacy Method and System" patent, number 5,592,555; patent 5,502,689, relating to a "clock generation capable of shutdown mode;" and patents 5,530,597 and 5,235,635, connected to "processor interrupt masks" and "keypad activity based activation."

In the face of increasing litigation of this type, companies including HP, Google, Ericsson and Cisco have recently formed the non-profit organization Allied Security Trust. The aim of the alliance is to buy and pool technology patents in a central shared repository, providing future protection for the companies involved when they launch new products. Apple has yet to express interest in joining.


Filed under: Apple
Other story tags: patents, Texas, law

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FFS

0
07/02, 9:43am, EDT

come on now.

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krb

power button

2
07/02, 11:46am, EDT

... and will the person who holds the patent to the power button please step forward so we can get this over with.

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Joined Jun 2000
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Johnny Quest's suit

2
07/02, 1:43pm, EDT

Johnny Quest has come forward to sue Steve Jobs for infringement of his patented black turtleneck and blue jeans look he developed in the 1960s.

Apple has not, as of this date, issued a response.

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monde is genius

1
07/02, 2:58pm, EDT

Not to mention the Quest handheld communicator -- remember those?

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i've a patent

0
07/02, 4:47pm, EDT

that involves thinking and typing on a keyboard using a computing device (computer). Now stop thinking and you can type.Patents are not bad themselves. IMO a patent should become invalid or open to implementation by any individual or company if they agree to acknowledge the patent number and owner, if a person does not actually implement it within a reasonable timeframe. The patent owner shall not have any monetary claim if they have not themselves been able to sell the idea or design, develop or implement the idea in the real world. This would make patents more reasonable and deter people from just running to the patent office to make money.

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