Lawsuits Plague Handheld Industry

Steve · 09-01-2003, 11:46 PM

Patent and trademark lawsuits have plagued the handheld industry for the past decade. So who's making the biggest impact on the industry, engineers or lawyers?

Read about it at http://www.brighthand.com/article/La...dheld_Industry

Double-Trinity · 09-02-2003, 02:19 AM

A few nitpicks:

1) I'm fairly sure The GUI was licenced by Apple not stolen from under their noses
2) The Sandisk/Lexar isn't really a handheld issue, seeing as the cards are mostly meant for cameras.
3) It isn't just the handheld industry, nearly every industry in the world is being plagued by ridiculous frivolous lawsuits, though this is an inordinate amoutn of high-profile patent cases.

imported_SuccessWizard · 09-02-2003, 07:31 AM

You forgot the suit by the guy that said that he owned the trademark to the name Pocket PC -- the poker chip guy...

Jan Willem · 09-02-2003, 08:12 AM

In the end it is easier and cheaper for one company to buy all the others and be done with it. But than problably an anti trust law suite will come up and delay tech development even further. ..

Maybe someone could take a patent on the act of filing suit, filing suit to any company trying to file suit...

Maybe there's a corporate World Championship Suing.

In the end we are all paying too much for too little.

Although, if it were my idea someone else was making money with... I would sue his @ss............

enough of the smart .ss remarks. I think it is a shame and makes me wonder what the functionality of patent offices is and whehter companies do enough background checks befor they give a go to commercializing their technology. Furthermore, a company or person trying to make a quick buck over the work of others by filing suit should be punished severly to make it less interesting to do so.

But than again, nobody said law was easy! We could all use some of Solomon's wisdom.

imported_DougI · 09-02-2003, 01:52 PM

As I wrote last year in an article on GigaLaw.com, "Patent Lessons Provided by PayPal and Palm":

"The PayPal, Palm and BT lawsuits highlight the importance of patent law to the Internet and new forms of technology. Yes, seeking patent protection can be expensive and confusing -- and that's often why many start-ups and even established companies ignore it. But ignoring it could prove to be an even more expensive decision."

See http://www.gigalaw.com/articles/2002...g-2002-02.html

09-02-2003, 07:34 PM

My understanding in the RIM vs Handspring suit was that Handspring had a patent that RIM needed, so they were just able to make it go away by cross-licensing. Not sure what Palm did.

I've been trying to figure out how to patent a device that does anything, anytime, anywere, in any way. I suppose I should stop figuring and just file it. Better would be to go to law school and get in on all these lawsuits.

All I can say is that it takes the fun out of invention. Not to mention the hope.

Timothy Rapson · 09-02-2003, 08:14 PM

Hey, Success Wizard, that guy with the poker chip was a riot. That one didn't last long.

Of course, the most recent one where the guy claimed to have a patent for any card sized electronic device that would hold and transfer data as a credit card might. That one has got to go and I can't help but wonder who approves and interprets such broad rights.

On the other hand, I have a relative who owns a patent for a laptop computer case that has photovoltaic cells on the outside to to run a computer inside. Cool idea, huh? And he actually has the knowhow and experience to make them He has made hundreds of photo cell chargers for laptops. We could have such cases by now, but the companies with the money to make and market them won't deal with him and won't invest the money needed to bring a good finished case like this to market.

Life is so messy, I see the PDA industry is no exception.

IpaqMan2 · 09-03-2003, 02:16 AM

I believe most of these law suites have a way of working themselves out though it's still sad to to see technology and inovation becomes happered because of these lawsuits. Whats worse is when it's a "concept" company that has a patient for an idea they have been sitting on for years and hasn't done anything to develope their product as with E-Pass, or even with Xerox that pattened Unistroke, but hasn't done anything with it.

I have come to belive that the Laws in the US are less with justice, and more with making a buck. When companies turn to Lawsuits as a source of income than you know something has to be wrong. Lawsuits can be merrit, but in many cases I believe they are riduculus and just hurts the consumer market. It's a shame the US laws aren't set in such a way that anyone having a patient must use it some way with in a specified amount of time or loose it.

Ed Hardy · 09-03-2003, 08:49 AM

European Patent Law Draws Fire
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,60245,00.html

Autarch · 09-03-2003, 12:54 PM

Quote:

3) It isn't just the handheld industry, nearly every industry in the world is being plagued by ridiculous frivolous lawsuits, though this is an inordinate amoutn of high-profile patent cases.

This was my reaction, too. I suppose this is just the price of doing business in the 20th (and probably 21st) century. Still, there does seem to be an abundance of lawsuits in this industry with relatively few major players.

What's the story with the poker chip guy? I must have missed that one.