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View Full Version : Surprised nobody has mentioned this... (Apple's latest legal trouble?)

sealfin
2007.04.26, 11:11 AM
Via The Register (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/04/25/apple_sued_over_common_ui_element/)

Apple is facing a jury trial over allegations it ripped off a US patent filed by Xerox way back in 1987. At issue: Mac OS X 10.4's use of tabs and other UI elements to flip between different panels within a single window. [...] The plaintiffs want a jury trial, damages in excess of $20m and a ban on sales of current and future versions of Mac OS X.

I know nearly nothing about the US' legal system, but I wonder if there is a statute of limitations for patent violations? As the first time I saw a tab-interface on the Mac was in '94 in System 7's Launcher control panel and At Ease, and the first time I saw a tab-interface in an OS was in Windows 95...
Zwilnik
2007.04.26, 12:52 PM
this isn't the Xerox case though, this is a patent trolling company with a vaguely worded patent that could be skewed to cover almost any piece of computer interface technology.

As per usual, it's being brought in the state where the judges have the least technical knowledge and will more than likely be yet another non event.
Joseph Duchesne
2007.04.26, 01:37 PM
Apple is safe. THey just have to cite prior art: The apple lisa prototypes:
http://folklore.org/projects/Macintosh/images/polaroids/polaroids.14.jpg
They had plenty of tabs at such. This type of interface existed long before this patent was filed (in the early 90's).

SoftwarePatentStupidity++; //I think this might pass INT_MAX soon
Nevada
2007.04.26, 01:56 PM
The U.S. patent system was put forth to benefit inventors, not to let fussy corporations take advantage of the legal system... What a shame...
Najdorf
2007.04.26, 02:04 PM
And thanks to Joseph Duchesne Apple Computer, Inc is safe!
PowerMacX
2007.04.26, 03:02 PM
And thanks to Joseph Duchesne Apple Computer, Inc is safe!

Too bad the suit is against Apple, Inc. then... :p
Joseph Duchesne
2007.04.26, 06:27 PM
Too bad the suit is against Apple, Inc. then... :p

True... this whole "corperation as a citizen" thing could be taken to the extreme... Apple Computer is dead, but it's child Apple Inc lives on!
:P

Life is fun.