iLounge

1

Apple, innovation by stealing. Think Different.

Posted by Bob on April 17, 2006 at 4:41 PM (PDT)

2

yeah bob, thats the sole innovation of apple, bits of the technology used in iTunes and Quicktime. they havent defined portable music for this generation or anything. nor have they provided easy and efficient ways of managing an incredible amount of things from video editing to keeping contacts. im not on apple’s nuts or anything, but you do have to give them credit for what they’ve done. just because there is one small infringement lawsuit doesnt mean you can apply such a broad statement like that.

Posted by andrew f on April 17, 2006 at 7:27 PM (PDT)

3

Apple steals *all* the time.  Only true fanboys can’t admit it.

Ask the folks at Konfabulator about Apple’s thefts.  This is just another in a long, ling line of Apple being just as evil as any other company, only Apple has better marketing and suckers for fans who believe in the hype.

Posted by stark23x on April 17, 2006 at 7:59 PM (PDT)

4

Oh boy, here comes the flaming . . .

I wonder, why do all these supposedly “ripped-off” companies only cry foul when their “products/ideas” start making money?

Posted by Poprox on April 17, 2006 at 8:15 PM (PDT)

5

Poprox, I don’t understand your point.  If several companies are violating your patents of course you will go after the one with the highest revenue. It costs a lot of money to successfully defend your IP in court. The reward for doing so is usually past compensation and future licensing fees. The only pertinent issue is whether the IP is in fact legitimate and being violated.

Disclaimer: I don’t know the details in this case and am reserving judgement.

Posted by aquariumdrinker on April 17, 2006 at 9:20 PM (PDT)

6

“Apple steals *all* the time.  Only true fanboys can’t admit it.”

You must have failed your computing history classes.

Posted by The Raven on April 18, 2006 at 6:33 AM (PDT)

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Poprox,

You are correct.  The key word is “supposedly”.  Apple bashers always tend to assume that just because someone claims infringement, it must be true.  If you look at Bursts’ patents, you will see just about every technology they claim patent to has been done before.

And, please don’t try to tell me that Burst won their case against MS.  MS settled.  BIG difference.  Remember, MS, as a convicted monopolist, had other issues to deal with in their case that don’t impact Apple.

If this actually gets to court, Burst may just have their “patents” deemed invalid.  This is a huge risk for them.  I think they’re bluffing, hoping Apple will “come to their senses” and settle.

Posted by The Raven on April 18, 2006 at 6:48 AM (PDT)

8

Why is it that these so-called “innovators” never seem to actually put out any product?  And why did it take them 6 years to figure out that their patent was infringed on.  If it was a matter of them thinking of it first, you’d think they’d have realized it alot sooner.  There should be a caveat to these suits that shows that they are actually working on a product and not looking to hit lotto when someone else becomes successful.

Posted by Frank Z on April 18, 2006 at 3:08 PM (PDT)

9

“There should be a caveat to these suits that shows that they are actually working on a product and not looking to hit lotto when someone else becomes successful. “

Countries such as Canada, the UK, Austrailia, and others all have these provisions in place already. In those countires, a patent must be ‘proven’. Meaning, a person/company not only has to think of the idea, but also prototype it and prove it works as you invented it. In the US however you just have to think of the idea and patent it. You don’t even have to be the first to think of it, just the first to file paperwork! There is a individual in the US that has successfully sued(or settled) three major machine tool manufactures because he ‘invented’ the idea of attaching a computer system to an industrial machine tool. Forget the fact he invented it 10 years after the first ones were in production!

Ask RIM all about that. NTP doesn’t make any technology products at all. But look what happened with those two.

As for Apple, yes they rip ideas off all the time. Ask xerox who invented the GUI.

Posted by david on April 18, 2006 at 3:56 PM (PDT)

10

“You must have failed your computing history classes.”

The ones that taught about Apple’s theft from Xerox?

Posted by Nevermore on April 20, 2006 at 3:06 AM (PDT)

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theft? apple PAID xerox for the priviledge of inspecting their ALTO computer, then apple built on the idea. big difference from a theft buddy

Posted by Alec b on April 20, 2006 at 4:32 PM (PDT)

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Alec, you must mean corporate espionage.

Posted by Alex on June 15, 2008 at 2:51 AM (PDT)