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Apple Patent Wars Make Android Devices Less Attractive, Everyone Suffers

Steve Jobs with patent
Original photo by Matt Buchanan; edited by Techrights



Summary: Bits of patent news regarding Apple and its patents

THE tales of HTC versus Apple are further complicated now that HTC removes features to dodge Apple patents. As one site put it:

The HTC One X for AT&T and Evo 4G LTE for Sprint already bear the distinction of being the first Android devices to face an import block at US Customs for potentially infringing an Apple patent, but the ignominy may be fleeting: sources tell us that HTC's US devices use a customized version of Android that removes the offending "data tapping" feature. That's confirmed by our own examination of an AT&T One X and Sprint Evo 4G LTE, neither of which exhibit the key behavior excluded from importation into the US by the International Trade Commission, and which both include a new settings screen not present in the international One X.


The customer clearly won't benefit from this. Oracle in the mean time is fighting against the very heart of the platform and its mind is changing;

Both legal teams in Oracle's lawsuit against Google had recently seemed determined to end the case as efficiently as possible; however, things took a turn for the complicated during the latest proceedings. When the final statements in the patent portion of the suit were concluded, Oracle's team of lawyers went back to discuss the issue of damages once again, with Judge William Alsup surprising attendees by revealing that he had, in fact, spent time programming before.


The Oracle case against Android helps Apple and the longer it goes on for, the less confident developers will feel about developing for Dalvik. Apple is the mean time is hammering on HTC, which received patents from Google:

In its latest legal salvo, the iPhone maker has asked the ITC to dismiss five patents that Google issued to HTC last year.


All those patent fights among giants are harming everyone. Google ought to just do more to squash all software patents. Its current approach leads to the perception that software patents can be balanced. As this new post puts it:

Big Player Patent Battles Trickle Down to Everyone



[...]

When you look around at the news these days, you know that IP law is having a big impact on how big companies are spending their money. It seems that every company is playing defense with patents instead of taking the time innovate. High profile purchases such as Google buying Motorola Mobility was probably driven more by the company’s patent cache more than its technology holdings.


It has become clearer that all software patents -- no matter whose -- need to go. They in no way serve the common good.

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