In the UK, Taiwan's HTC challenged four Apple patents covering "slide to unlock" and other touchscreen-related features. The High Court agreed today, describing them as either too obvious, or foreshadowed by earlier patents. Analysts expect the outcome to significantly influence the many other patent battles taking place between Apple and its competitors worldwide.

  • scatterfingers

    As well they should. Defines the very idea of frivolous, that patent.

  • http://www.fatjerry.com Dimmer

    So, I guess this is counter to the Apple wins (and competing product denials) over the last couple of weeks.

    Oh, wait, BoingBoing couldn’t be arsed with those? I reject my guess.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=626090527 Tim Bearcub

      Wins? 

      You mean like the fact they’ve only enforced a sales ban while the legal case is heard, the fact they lost stopping Kodak sell patents that will probably expose Apple to more patent disputes, and Apple having to pay millions for infringing Samsung patents in Netherlands? You mean those ‘wins’? They won the UMTS one in the US, but not elsewhere.

      Yeah they’re really #winning. Ahem.If Kodak sells those patents, it’s open season on Apple and others, since I bet a lot of those early digital imaging patents haven’t been enforced…and Kodak pioneered the digital camera, I’m expecting they pioneered a lot more. Apparently tagging for instance…

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=626090527 Tim Bearcub

        Oh I forgot the Apple’s patent case against Motorola patent being thrown out for the final time, too. And I think they tried to block the SGS3 here in the UK which didn’t fly either. Shame, Apple used to concentrate on making good products rather than patent troll over stuff that it doesn’t really have prior art on, or is evolutionary or not 100%…

        I mean at this rate Sony Ericsson should sue over the original iPhone since they had a touch-controlled smartphone out there with apps & wifi way before Apple released theirs (I still have it, the p990i).

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Oh, wait, BoingBoing couldn’t be arsed with those?

      Were you redirected here while searching for “apple news’?