Comments on: Apple: We Have the Rights to Lodsys Patents, Devs Can Use Them

By: mirandapothiawala

mirandapothiawala — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:04:21 +0000

I’m very pleased that Apple have finally taken a stand on this; it was ridiculous that their developers could have taken the rap for this. However I as a developer myself I do think that being able to patent software is ridiculous; having ownership of our source code and associated IP is really all we care about.

By: ryan

ryan — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:06:32 +0000

thinking like that is flawed. your arguement is the same thing as i build a dresser thats unique, patent it, but decide not to use the design because i dont want to. you decide that you have the right to steal my design and profit ftom it without paying me. hows that fair?
who cares if i was the creator or i bought the patent, its my property and i own it. i can do what i see fit with it. if i choose to let you use it, it was my decision. i shouldnt be forced to give up rights to my property because i dont want to use my innovation.
while i dont agree with trolling, its a smart business idea, as well as one that should remain legal. apple made sure its devs could use the patents in its contracts with lodsys, and will win in the end. but that does not change the fact thay lodsys is the rightful owner of the patent reguardless if they choose to create with it or license it, they own it and have final say when contracts arent involved. dont trample on owners rights.

By: roby

roby — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:37:23 +0000

Yet, we all chime in before knowing the facts!

There’s an irony in railing against this patent biz because it harms innovation; when patents themselves protect innovation and innovators’ rights.

None of us know for sure what Apple licensed or whether they aren’t being the bully here!

Just think how you all would feel if you simply heard that Apple was flexing its muscle against a small innovator who developed a specialized idea (e.g., in-app buying system) and preventing them from getting their just desserts!

I’m rooting for Apple on this one–and dislike the strong-arming of small developers–but let’s not treat this like an ideological Rorschach test and flame away or make declarations without having read the pertinent documents and knowing what’s going on.

By: eideard

eideard — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:24:54 +0000

Yup. And Congress will get around to responsible activity when?

They’re still holding up the appointment of judges because John McCain didn’t win in 2008.

By: cult_hero13

cult_hero13 — Tue, 24 May 2011 01:28:16 +0000

I agree with jtruant about the damage this type of behavior does to innovation. The laws should be written so that if a company holds a patent and does nothing with it for a specified amount of time, it loses the patent. As with most things, it probably couldn’t be as cut and dry as this, but something at least resembling this should be in place to keep the trolls at bay and allow those who would do something useful the freedom to do so. It’s one thing to have an idea. It’s another thing to sit on it that idea and never let it grow.

By: jtruant

jtruant — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:56:54 +0000

When is society going to finally realise what damage these stupid IP laws are doing to innovation?
Maybe we need a ‘perfect storm’, where several large companies are held ransom by some troll – but why should we come to our senses in this way?