Apple Demands $40 Per Samsung Phone For 5 Software Patents

An anonymous reader writes "Apple and Samsung couldn't agree on a patent cross-license even though their CEOs met recently. What could be the reason (or one of the reasons) is that Apple is asking for obscenely high patent royalties. At the March 31 trial an Apple-hired expert will present to a California jury (already the third jury trial in this dispute) a damages claim of $40 per device (phone or tablet) for just a handful of software patents. The patents are related to, but don't cover all aspects and elements of, functionalities like slide-to-unlock, autocorrect, data synchronization, unified search and the famous tap-on-phone-number-to-dial feature. Google says there are 250,000 patentable inventions in a smartphone. On average, Apple wants $8 per patent per device. That would add a patent licensing bill of $2 million to each gadget. So Apple and Samsung will be back to court again later this month."

Comments

That's a lot of money for rounded corners

[JoeyRox]

I wonder what Apple would charge if Samsung agreed to using square corners instead.

This is why I'm leaving IT

[morcego]

and I'm back to college to study law. Because the only people who are really making money in those whole shameful mess are the lawyers. And why shouldn't they? This level of stupidity and greed should be taxed.

Re: How are those kind of things patentable?

[narcc]

I couldn't agree more! Apple's grid of icons was totally different from Palms grid of icons!

It's true. No one would have ever thought to use a grid of icons on a smartphone before the iPhone. Apple's grid of icons was light years ahead of other so-called grids of icons at the time. Truly innovative.

Re:How are those kind of things patentable?

[Big Hairy Ian]

Hey slide to unlock? I've got a dead bolt that does that :)