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Broken Patent System? Google, Apple Disagree

Whiney Mac Fanboy writes "The AlwaysOn Stanford Summit featured the panel discussion 'The Patent Crisis: Crossroads for the Business of Technology.' Speakers included patent lawyers from Google, IBM, and Apple. According to The Register, Google's and Apple's patent jocks had diametrically opposing views. Google's head of patents believes the system is in crisis: 'The Patent Office is overburdened,' she said. 'The volume of patents going in is huge. And the quality of patents coming out — it could be better.' But Apple's chief patent counsel said the US patent system was 'not broken' and 'not in crisis,' calling it 'the best in the world.'"

12 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Apple Says Patent System is Like a Battery... by bcolflesh · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...it never needs replacing!

    1. Re:Apple Says Patent System is Like a Battery... by The13thSin · · Score: 4, Funny

      And Google just perceives everything to be still in beta!

      --
      "This should be fun, and by fun, I mean a wholly depressing insight into the cognitive ability of some grown adults."
  2. Not only confusion with the patents by CrackedButter · · Score: 4, Funny

    But who do I take sides with? Who is the evil one here, the one in the wrong? Are you sure the article isn't missing a paragraph by a Microsoft manager or something, I need to attack somebody needlessly and follow someone mindlessly!

  3. Re:It's Official: Apple & Google are Evil by witte · · Score: 2, Funny

    Heh :-)
    Calling it 'the best in the world' is quite an insult to other patent systems.

  4. Re:Apple might not be wrong by Sciros · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's an iPod shuffle! oooh, burn!

    --
    I like basketball!!1!
  5. In other news... by cerelib · · Score: 4, Funny

    That night Apple submitted a patent for "A handheld device capable of playback of digital audio."(No link needed, this is the full text of the submission) which was immediately, and without review, approved by the head of the USPTO himself.

  6. Translation by athloi · · Score: 1, Funny

    Apple: Our patent system is the best because it allows us to make money from trivial ideas before others can exploit them Google: Our patent system is in crisis because it sometimes threatens those of us who make money by exploiting your trivial ideas

  7. Knock knock, Neo. by mattgreen · · Score: 2, Funny

    That'd be the sound of your cognitive dissonance knocking. Google/Apple = good, patents = bad. But, Google/Apple like patents!

    I wish they wouldn't run stories like this...now what are we supposed to think?

  8. Re:"the best in the world" by IBBoard · · Score: 2, Funny

    They never did say how it was best ;)

  9. What does this do for... by TheJerg · · Score: 2, Funny

    The old saying "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

    You have "The enemy of my enemy, the enemy of my enemy and the enemy of my enemy" Does that make them all my friends or all my enemies?

  10. Re:best/worst in the world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Your dad was mis-quoting Churchill.

    In other news, after deciding that US patent system is the best there is, US also claims to be the most peaceable, cultured, intelligent and humble nation on Earth.

    Shortly afterwards, US points out that as everything good, brave and beautiful comes from the US, so there is no need for the rest of the world, and declares nuclear war on it.

  11. Slow day around here by aztektum · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thomas Jefferson would probably be working for Google if he were alive today. Or screaming "Help help get me out of this fucking hole in the ground!" Yeah I'm bored today.
    --
    :: aztek ::
    No sig for you!!