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Apple Patent Claim Threatens To Block Or Delay W3C

Posted by timothy on from the broad-patents-big-problems dept.

Kelson writes "The W3C Widget specification is running into a problem: Apple claims a patent on automatic updates and is unwilling to license it royalty-free in the event that it impacts the spec. The W3C is investigating to determine whether the spec includes anything covered by the patent, and decide what to do."

18 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, Apple by Cormophyte · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hope this is a legitimate claim, or I'll have to start hating you, too.

    1. Re:Oh, Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, you won't. Steve will merely extend the reality distortion field to cover you as well. He might not be at the helm, but it is still his life energy that powers the RDF. That is why his health is failing. Keeping up good feelings about apple after all the various shit they have pulled with the iPhone has really taxed is ability to power the RDF. I hear they are looking for an alternate power source, ut its going about as well as their search for an alternate supply of PPC chips went a few years back

    2. Re:Oh, Apple by rinoid · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't worry, the W3C takes over a decade to get a spec into a Recommendation ... by that time all the grey beards will have died off and this will have been surpassed by The Next Great Thing.

    3. Re:Oh, Apple by zehaeva · · Score: 4, Funny

      Apple: We do Evil with Style

    4. Re:Oh, Apple by orclevegam · · Score: 2, Funny

      Apple: We do Evil with Style*

      *: Available in high gloss black, white and limited edition brushed aluminum.

      --
      Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
    5. Re:Oh, Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Apple: We do Evil with Style

      Stevil ®

  2. How dare you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    How dare you mean spirited people use Apple patented stuff because you do not know how to use it properly unlike the insanely great people at Cupertino

  3. I'm confused by bonch · · Score: 1, Funny

    Are we hating Apple today or loving them?

    1. Re:I'm confused by R2.0 · · Score: 1, Funny

      "I suggest you find a religious site."

      Like, lets say, Slashdot?

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    2. Re:I'm confused by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

      Meh. Apple is basically just Microsoft with an inferiority complex.

      But a stylish, tasteful inferiority complex. You don't see Steve Jobs with sweaty underarms, do you?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. Re:and in a manner that is completely transparent by Khyber · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Apple claims a patent on a stealth method."

    Microsoft already own the portfolio on this nonsense!

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  5. Re:Bunch of hypocrites by iYk6 · · Score: 5, Funny

    No kidding: http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.apple.com/about/w3c/

  6. Will W3C strike back? by phobot · · Score: 5, Funny

    It will be great if the W3C sort-a ban apple from using the HTTP and other W3C tech in OS X...when your the owner you can give and take permission whenever you like so...give em' a taste of they're own medicine. I'll die laughing if that happens!

  7. Re:and in a manner that is completely transparent by Applekid · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think whoever wrote the first computer worm should sue apple

    How apt that a worm would ruin an apple. :)

    --
    More Twoson than Cupertino
  8. Re:and in a manner that is completely transparent by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    I though Reboots were part of Windows Primary Function.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  9. Re:And do it fast enough for the user not to notic by Intron · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or for applications that are slow and unresponsive all the time.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  10. Re:And do it fast enough for the user not to notic by Missing_dc · · Score: 1, Funny

    Or for applications that are slow and unresponsive all the time.

    **insert Vista joke here**

    --
    How amazed would you be to suddenly find that you just forgot what I wrote and you needed to reread my post.... again.
  11. Apple says: "OK, we're evil" by David+Gerard · · Score: 3, Funny

    After bricking unlocked iPhones, kicking applications off the iPhone store that might even slightly compete with iTunes in the far future, and filing a wave of patents on basic well-known computer science, Apple Inc. today filed a 10-Q with the Securities Exchange Commission declaring that it was openly adopting Evil(tm) as a corporate policy.

    "Fuck it," said Steve Jobs to an audience of soul-mortgaged thralls, "we're evil. But our stuff is sooo good. You'll keep taking our abuse. You love it, you worm. Because our stuff is great. It's shiny and it works. It's not like you'll go back to a Windows Mobile phone. Ha! Ha!Ã

    Steve Ballmer of Microsoft was incensed at the news. "Our evil is better than anyone's evil! No-one sweats the details of evil like Microsoft! Where's your antitrust trial, you polo-necked bozo? We've worked hard on our evil! Our Zune's as evil as an iPod any day! I won't let my kids use a lesser evil! We're going to do an ad about that! I'll be in it! With Jerry Seinfeld! Beat that! Asshole."

    Sergey Brin of Google said, "Of course, we're still not evil. You can trust us on this. Every bit of data about you, your life and the house you live in is strictly a secret between you and our marketing department. But, hypothetically, if we were evil, it's not like you're going to use Windows Live Search. Ha! Ha! I'm sorry, that's my 'spreading good cheer' laugh. Really."

    --
    http://rocknerd.co.uk