Brandon Miniman
01-27-2008, 08:14 PM
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) apparently awarded a non-specific, broad, and wide-ranging patent for a "mobile entertainment and communication device," according to Techdirt (http://techdirt.com/articles/20080124/16382062.shtml). Closer inspection reveals that the patent awarded is for none other than the modern day smartphone.
The owner of the patent wasted no time and sued AT&T, RIM, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, among others, a week ago on Monday. However, it realized that it was jumping the gun as the patent had not been awarded yet until later. It re-filed the lawsuit last Tuesday.
This is another example of how the patent system needs reformation here. Even if the patent owner does not win in the suit, companies would have wasted valuable resources on the lawsuit instead of allocating it into research and product development.
The owner of the patent wasted no time and sued AT&T, RIM, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, among others, a week ago on Monday. However, it realized that it was jumping the gun as the patent had not been awarded yet until later. It re-filed the lawsuit last Tuesday.
This is another example of how the patent system needs reformation here. Even if the patent owner does not win in the suit, companies would have wasted valuable resources on the lawsuit instead of allocating it into research and product development.