In Wake of Samsung Verdict, HTC Does Not Intend To Settle 286
Taco Cowboy writes "The recent lost by Samsung in a court battle against Apple apparently does not put a dent to other parties determination to fight Apple, inside and outside of the court system HTC's Chairperson, Ms. Cher Wang, has publicly re-iterated her belief that the $1 billion jury verdict against Samsung in the U.S. 'does not mean the failure of the entire Google Android ecosystem.'"
Here's the thing... (Score:5, Informative)
About Cher Wang (Score:3, Informative)
I believe that one of the reasons for the lopsided Apple/Samsung verdict was the RDF surrounding St. Steven Jobs. People think of him as an inspirational figure, and they're likely to believe his company's claims.
I just wanted to state that Cher Wang is just as much an inspiration as Jobs, even though she hasn't sought the limelight or appeared in black turtlenecks at worldwide developer conferences.
"Indeed, she rarely makes headlines at all, although she started her own multibillion-dollar company and made her own fortune.
"Ms. Wang is one of the most powerful female executives in technology whom you have never heard of. The company she founded, the HTC Corporation, makes one out of every six smartphones sold in the United States, most of which are marketed under brands like Palm and Verizon."
more [nytimes.com]
She also founded VIA in 1987.
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:4, Informative)
OK I expect this from an Android fan forum, but I expect more out of Slashdot.
Apple has a trade dress patent. There are around 10 individual characteristics that make up the image of an iPhone. This includes rounded corners, grid of icons that can be swiped, lower set of icons that are static, edge to edge glass, black or white with chrome borders, etc.
Apple does not own a patent over any of the individual characteristics. To say they do is flat out ignorant. To violate trade dress, you need to copy all or almost all of the individual characteristics. Simply having rounded corners is not something that Apple has an exclusive license on.
This is not new.... (Score:5, Informative)
I worked in the Semiconductor industry from the mid 70's up to around 2003. In the startup phase all startups were sued by the big guns but there was always a method to the madness. You don't sue a company that has no money unless it is defensive. They would all sit back and wait until you started to get successful. They the suits come in and throw a stack of patents 3' high on the table and say "Today we are running a special, we want 1% per foot on your revenue or we will litigate each and every one of these along with a few hundred more we did not bring today and if you settle right now we will throw in a set of Ginsu Knives" Both companies end up settling for something and a cross license deal and life goes on. It is what it is. A lot of the patents are so basic you could not make a chip without violating them. TI has one around injection molded packages that you could not make a plastic package without violation. It's probably expired by now but I'm sure they have "refreshed" it 10 times over.
Re:About Cher Wang (Score:3, Informative)
Not that I am suggesting anything specific about Ms. Wang, but somehow she studied at Berkley after taking college prep school in Oakland, CA, which she went to after leaving school in Taiwan. Consider the expense of that (nowadays this would cost at least $150,000 with the visa fees and whatnot).
The article hints at the already-present richness of her family:
"When she was a young girl, Ms. Wang said, her father would take her on monthly visits to a local hospital he helped finance"
As usual, the rich and powerful got that way by being handed a HUGE head start. It is hard to find anyone in such powerful positions who actually has a real rags-to-riches story.
Nothing wrong with all that, but do consider how much better you would have done in life if your parents were well off financiers.
Re:There's a reason Android is popular (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Apple is the bad guy. (Score:5, Informative)
Well, it was during the time that the PowerPC was better (by which I assume you mean faster) than Intel. Its architecture was always superior to the x86. That was most of the 90s. It was only after Motorola took it over, repositioned it and stopped trying to keep up that Intel's performance overtook it again with new architectures and technologies. Apple just did the pragmatic thing (unthinkable to some) to keep their products competitive.
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:5, Informative)
Have you read the D504889 patent?
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:5, Informative)
I realise your comment is limited, and I haven't read the whole claim, but doesn't the claim to any number of design choices sound ridiculous to you?
Apple owns the identity of the iPhone. You can articulate this identity by detailing a list of specific hardware and software choices that make the iPhone unique. Almost all smartphones are rectangular with rounded corners - and this by itself is completely innocent. Samsung made dozens of purposeful and willful choices to create a product that mimicked the iPhone in almost every way possible. This is not ridiculous whatsoever, and an entire jury agreed.
http://media.idownloadblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/samsung-vs.-apple-e1313955567548.jpg [idownloadblog.com]
This blatant copying should not be allowed.
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:5, Informative)
Tesla innovated just fine. He died crazy and poor while lesser men made themselves the gatekeepers to his creations and robbed the masses blind, sure... but he still innovated. Well, invented... innovation is the dumb-grunt work, really... but the principle is the same.
Just because you're a slave doesn't mean you can't work.
Nikola Tesla also died long before all this patent happy business the GP is talking about.
Slave?? Tesla was issued at least 278 patents internationally, wikipedia has a list of his American patents [wikipedia.org]. Westinghouse for example licensed Tesla's patents for large sums of money so Tesla was an 'evil IP monopolizer' or 'gatekeeper' as you put it. Also keep in mind that patent trolling was a problem in Tesla's day just like it is today so it's not exactly as if the late 19th and early 20th centuries were some sort of patent lawsuit free golden age of innovation.
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:2, Informative)
Tesla was issued at least 278 patents internationally
Domestically, the tally is closer to 1000... most of these patents are, however, still designated top secret by the US government. Truth.
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:3, Informative)
A patent is, by definition, not secret. The fundamental requirement for getting a patent is disclosure of the invention.
Who is the genius who modded you informative?
Invention Secrecy Act allows the patent office to classify defense-relatd patents secret: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_Secrecy_Act [wikipedia.org]
Re:How is it even possible to innovate these days? (Score:4, Informative)
That doesn't mention "rounded corners" anywhere
Sure it does. In a design patent, the pictures are the claims. The patent contains 9 drawings of a rectangle with rounded corners.