Apple Forces Google To Degrade Android Features

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Apple Forces Google To Degrade Android Features

Posted by timothy on Saturday July 7, 2012 @06:26AM from the advancing-the-arts-and-sciences dept.

walterbyrd writes "The latest in the ridiculous saga of the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, which has resulted in Samsung phones and tablets being banned from sale in the U.S. is that Samsung, with the help of Google, has been pushing out an over-the-air software update to make its phones worse. Yes, the OTA update is designed to take away a feature, in an effort to convince the judge that the phones no longer violate Apple's patents. The feature in question? The ability to do a single search that covers both the local device and the internet."

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Do net cheer any software patent victories... by SuperKendall · 2012-07-07 06:37 · Score: 4, Informative

This is just the kind of software patent that really strikes fear into smaller developers, since it's a technique that comes to mind naturally (I've had search boxes that have done mixed kinds of searches for decades).
I have never cheered "victories" even from companies I like, for any software patents... these truly are things that need to be abolished as patentable.
At this point though, I do not think the international community will allow it unless we get some REALLY strong support from government...

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Re:six hundred dollars? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-07 06:38 · Score: 5, Informative

If Samsung's profit margins are so slim on those devices that they cannot afford a few pennies for this patent, they are doing something wrong.
Can you be a bit more explicit about what you think this license fee is? And preferably cite a source for it? Because my understanding - and I'm happy to be shown wrong - is that Apple is suing not for a fee but to prevent the features being used.
Re:Kill Patents by jkrise · 2012-07-07 07:18 · Score: 3, Informative

Firstly, this article is about the tussle between Apple and Samsung's Android offerings. I very clearly remember that Apple started the mindlessness vs Samsung first.
Google was not directly sued by Apple, but the suits against Samsung and HTC were enough motivation for Google to acquire MMI and take some counter action.

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If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Re:Kill Patents by Tough+Love · 2012-07-07 07:41 · Score: 5, Informative

No, Apple sued first. The fact that Apple sued a different Android vendor than Motorola is immaterial, it was still a direct troll patent attack on Android.
2010, Mar 02: Apple sues HTC over 10 patents and files an ITC complaint against HTC over 10 other patents.

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When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Re:Kill Patents by Teun · 2012-07-07 08:30 · Score: 4, Informative

I see a couple of points re. the de-facto relation between MS and Apple that I agree with. These guys have a long standing truce, from around the time Apple helped MS make the Windows GUI and MS pledged to supply a MAC version of Office.
To name the most obvious.

--
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Re:Kill Patents by srw · 2012-07-07 08:49 · Score: 4, Informative

I think you need to brush up on your reading comprehension skills. If, as requested by the AC poster, we travel back in time with him/her to a year ago... May 22, 2012 hasn't happened yet.
Re:six hundred dollars? by FloydTheDroid · 2012-07-07 09:07 · Score: 5, Informative

Really? If you think Samsung is some kind of angel then you're sadly mistaken because they've demanded their fair share of danegelds - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung#Price_cartels
Re:six hundred dollars? by clintp · 2012-07-07 09:11 · Score: 4, Informative

Not Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling:

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --
"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"
-- Rudyard Kipling, 1911

--
Get off my lawn.
Re:Prior art by HarrySquatter · 2012-07-07 14:52 · Score: 3, Informative

How can Google Chrome be prior art to a patent that was filed 4 years before Chrome existed?
Re:Kill Patents by Kartu · 2012-07-07 22:44 · Score: 3, Informative

Apple helped MS make the Windows GUI
Uhm, what? You mean they both "stole" GUI idea from Xerox?