Apple Transfers Patents Through Shell Company To Sue All Phone Makers

New submitter dell623 writes "A patent lawsuit (PDF) by patent licensing firm Digitude Innovations curiously targeted all mobile manufacturers except Apple. A TechCrunch story has revealed that the patents used were transferred from Apple via a shell company to DI, and appear to cover features found in virtually all smartphones. The lawsuit even extends to companies that don't make Android phones, like Nokia and RIM, and to Android OEMs that Apple have not directly sued yet, like Sony. The business model of DI clearly implies that Apple would benefit financially from the lawsuit as a company that contributed patents to DI's portfolio."

Comments

Maybe Steve was trying to kill patents?

[BitZtream]

It sure seems that way, I can't imagine they expect to get anywhere. Even if they own the patents and have the right to sue everyone else out of existence, theres absolutely 0 possibility of it happening. There is only slightly (not worth mentioning) higher chance that they'll get everyone to pay them money.

This sort of thing will eventually fall apart in court, they'll probably be some people hurt along the way, but the silliness here will eventually get stopped. It just makes me think they're being so insane about it in an attempt to force a change. I know thats not Apple's MO, but its the only logical reason for doing it.

They can not possibly expect to basically be able to shutdown every other manufacture in the US or extort them for fees, its just completely unrealistic.

Re:Why now?

[Anonymous Coward]

They probably got the idea from Google.

apple is evil

[Colin Smith]

You think *suing* someone makes them evil?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/7773011/A-look-inside-the-Foxconn-suicide-factory.html