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>> Is that enough justification for them to sue everyone else in an attempt to lock them out of the market? To be clear, I don't agree with Apple's lawsuit, I
by slantyyz 14y ago
>> Is that enough justification for them to sue everyone else in an attempt to lock them out of the market?
To be clear, I don't agree with Apple's lawsuit, I think it's a waste of time/money related to one of Steve Job's personal grievances.
Keep in mind, however, that Apple is not suing everyone else. They aren't suing over Windows Phones. They didn't sue Palm/HP over WebOS. They also didn't sue RIM over the Playbook UI (although Palm should have sued them for knocking off WebOS). WP and WebOS do not look like knockoffs of iOS, unlike some of the disputed Samsung models.
Also remember that MS sued (and got lucrative settlements from) many of the same players that Apple is currently tangling with.
- cageface 14y agoKeep in mind, however, that Apple is not suing everyone else. No, they're only suing their only serious competitor, which should tell you all you need to know about how much this is about protecting innovation vs locking out a legitimate alternative and reducing consumer choice. I'm sure they could find plenty of bogus patents to use against MS and WebOS if they felt threatened by them at all.
- slantyyz 14y agoThey are suing their biggest competitor, yes, but I'm not the only one who thinks Samsung made a few models with a UI that looks like they knocked off iOS. WP and WebOS might be bit players, but they have novel UIs that are actually good and arguably better than iOS. In particular, WebOS had the best notifications. WP and WebOS prove Apple's notion that it is possible to compete without an 'iPhone Skin'.
- vetinari 14y agoApple does not sue Palm/HP or RIM, because they are not threat. They are almost non-players. The only lawsuit Microsoft had against Android vendor was Barnes and Noble. Which was settled out of court (by investing into B&N to shut them up). Other vendors license things like exFAT and ActiveSync. Some vendors (notably Motorola and Sony) do not pay anything to Microsoft.
- Apocryphon 14y agoApple isn't currently suing HTC, LG, or other manufacturers of Android phones.
- biafra 14y agoWhat? They are suing at least Samsung (the most successful Android vendor) all over the world.
- Apocryphon 14y agoI meant aside from Samsung.
- esolyt 14y agoThen again, Samsung is a much more significant competitor than all of them.
- makomk 14y agoI guess that arguably trying to get HTC banned from importing any of their phones into the US isn't "suing" them, but it's still pretty damn hostile to both them and to competition in the smartphone market: http://www.bgr.com/2012/06/06/apple-htc-patent-lawsuit-us-ban/ http://www.bgr.com/2012/06/06/apple-htc-patent-lawsuit-us-ba...
- slantyyz 14y agoIIRC, HTC settled up and is paying a license fee. There is no way for Barnes and Noble to be the only one paying, since it is widely known that MS makes more from Android makers than it does from Windows Phone.
- vetinari 14y agoI wrote "lawsuit", not "licensors". There was only one lawsuit, and it was settled before information was leaked. Others license voluntarily, but we still don't know, what exactly. It is just educated guess that it is exFAT and ActiveSync, because exact licensing conditions are under NDA.