>> Apple published its work and how it was done for everyone to see... and it did so in exchange for a right to license that work to those who wanted to extend

>> Apple published its work and how it was done for everyone to see... and it did so in exchange for a right to license that work to those who wanted to extend it No, Apple had to publish its work to gain market share. The looks of an iPhone minus branding logo become public domain by necessity. There is no way that Apple could have kept its iOS API secret, or the dimensions of its iPhone secret, while achieving success. Therefore, these materials cannot be the basis of a patent.