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MOD PARENT UP.
These are freaking QWERTY keyboards with PURPLE PAINT ON THEM and a second shift key. That's it.
See this image from their site http://www.konyin.com/products/NIG/KB-201PW-NG(Large).jpg

What the hell? I could understand if it's some novel layout...but a painted QWERTY keyboard? Jesus.

Putting a bunch of Nigerian-language characters onto a keyboard doesn't qualify as an "invention"; it's exactly what's been done for hundreds of other languages around the world since before Nigerian-language characters were in the Unicode standard even (which, I might point out, that same generous West put in after working hard to create those standards in the first place and then giving them to poor countries like Nigeria for free).

It seems to be a claim that a keyboard layout (i.e. which key goes where) is a patentable design. Of course in most of the world keyboard layouts are standardized, denying us the fun of learning a new keyboard layout whenever we buy a new keyboard -- but perhaps this isn't the case there.

What is even more amusing is that the keyboard layouts are not even the same!

...and write Mr. Oyegbola directly: mailto:oyegbola@konyin.com

I don't know that this company is actually abusing patent law. It seems like they have an actual invention (a type of keyboard + software that makes it easier to type in "weird" characters).

The descriptions of their keyboard, including this larger image, aren't too convincing. What they seem to have "invented" is the idea of adding a fifth "Ng" shift key to the conventional four (Shift, Ctrl, logo, Alt). They gave it somewhat unusual placement, stealing space from the usual Shift keys (and making them smaller).

But keyboards with five shift keys are hardly novel. I'm typing this on a 4-year-old Mac Powerbook, which has five shift keys (shift, fn, ctrl, alt/option, logo/cmd) at the lower left corner. The Mac puts all but the shift keys in the lower row, stealing space from the space bar

So what did they actually "invent"? Putting extra shift keys next to the usual "shift" keys? Inventing a new "Ng" label to paint on the key? Using a new keycode for the new keys?

Keyboards have been made with more than five shift keys, too.

The obvious conjecture is that this is yet another attempt to either extort money from the OLPC project, or to bankrupt it through litigation. Or maybe to just block its use in Nigeria, similar to the Microsoft bribe attempt discussed here last week.

I don't know that this company is actually abusing patent law. It seems like they have an actual invention (a type of keyboard + software that makes it easier to type in "weird" characters). The article even clearly points out that they have a product with this feature they sell.

Is that a patent troll? Doesn't sound like it.

I'm not sure about their choice of targets or especially their heavyhanded response to a charity organization though. I can only see this gaining them significant negative publicity and potentially torpedoing a good project.

Product Link

Here is the US international layout for OLPC:

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Keyboard_layouts

Here is the Konyin layout for the US (you have to click on VIEW LAYOUT under UNITED STATES):

http://www.konyin.com/?page=home&menuitem=1

Maybe Konyin thinks that they invented making additional languages/scripts/special characters available via additional shift characters, but that's ridiculous; here is the Windows US International keyboard layout:

http://www.usna.edu/LangStudy/US-InternationalLayout.html

See, lots of special characters via AltGr.