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Apple Will Update iPhones In China To Avoid a Ban On Sales (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Apple said it would update the software of iPhones in China (Warning: source paywalled; alternative source) to try to resolve a legal dispute that threatens to stop the company from selling older iPhones in the country. Apple and its longtime chip supplier, Qualcomm, have been fighting in court over Apple's use of Qualcomm's technology. On Nov. 30, a Chinese court ruled Apple must immediately stop selling seven older iPhone models in China because it infringed on two Qualcomm patents. But Apple has not stopped selling those iPhones there. The company has argued the phones are not subject to the ruling because they are running new software that was not discussed at trial. On Friday, Apple said in a statement that it would update its iPhones in China early next week "to address any possible concern about our compliance with the order." Apple said its update would change the iPhones' software so it did not infringe on Qualcomm patents, which relate to switching between apps and changing the size and appearance of photographs.
Qualcomm should be ashamed.
The patent system is run by the government. You should blame them for running a dysfunctional and corrupt racket, rather than blaming the companies that exploit it, which is nearly all of them.
The solution is to fix the patent system, not to shame individual companies into being less greedy.
The solution is to fix the patent system, not to shame individual companies into being less greedy.
. . . so what are your thoughts on how to fix the patent system . . . ?
My fear is that, whatever better patent system we come up with, the Big Patent industry will find ways to abuse and exploit that, as well.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
. . . so what are your thoughts on how to fix the patent system . . . ?
The system I have in mind provides no way for a Big Patent industry to abuse and exploit. It would also work wonders when applied to copyright. Or blasphemy laws.
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
Nobody asks, "how do we make a better cancer"? The patent game keeps small players out and stifles innovation.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
. . . so what are your thoughts on how to fix the patent system . . . ?
1. Eliminate software patents entirely. Most countries don't have them.
2. There should be a fee to get a patent, but also to keep one. The annual fee should double each year. This will make it easy for "the little guy" to get a patent, but make it increasingly expensive to just sit on an unused patent.
3. Outlaw trolls. Any NPE should not be allowed to sue for the infringement of assigned patents. Only the original inventor or someone actively using the patent should have the right to sue.
4. Have a national public patent pool. Anyone who receives a patent can assign it to the pool. Then they can use any patent in the pool royalty free.
I would also be okay with just eliminating patents entirely.
One thing we need to remember about patents is that the individual inventor who slaves away in his garage for years, and then gets rich licensing his patent to big companies ... is a myth. That almost never happens. Companies will not even talk to an individual inventor. Most of their inventions are either crap, something close to what is already being done, or something the company may come up with on their own. But if they talk to a garage inventor, and especially if they sign an NDA, they are opening themselves up to a bogus lawsuit for "stealing" the idea, with punitive penalties for "intentional infringement".
So the only safe policy is to just refuse to talk to individual inventors, or anyone actively marketing a patent.
Companies will not even talk to an individual inventor. Most of their inventions are either crap,
In today's IT world . . . never underestimate the value of crap.
something close to what is already being done,
Lots of big companies "incentivize" employees to produce a quota number of "potentially patentable" ideas from their normal project work.
It's kinda sorta like getting latrine duty in the army:
Project Manager: "OK, we're through with all the business for this meeting . . . but we still need our patent submission for this year . . . anyone willing to volunteer . . . or do I need to punish someone?"
or something the company may come up with on their own.
Oh, it's even worse than that . . . my employer has first dibs rights on any patent idea that I have . . . even if it has absolutely nothing to do with their business area.
In other words, if I am sitting on the toilet, and think about an idea for Toilet Paper Next Generation . . . I need to present it to my company's patent lawyers first. Then they can reject it, and let me pursue it on my own.
Unfortunately, that's the current state of the patent system . . . and probably not for what it was originally intended.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Samsung and LG uses those same camps
Not exactly - Apple at least tries to monitor the camps to help the workers some.
Samsung and LG, use the *unmonitored* camps. Let that sink in.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Something I did not see commented on here is - Apple has created a great deal of "luck"for itself here, because they CAN update all of those older phones they are selling.
Imagine if this were any other Android maker. They'd basically be out of luck for phones older than a year, because it would be covered by software patents they would have no update for.
So this provides a great reason for phone makers to provide longer support for devices than they currently do.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
First time I heard China cared about "patents". So it's probably not really patents, but a nice long lever to apply pressure to Apple to put in a barn-sized backdoor.