On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 8:12 AM, Josh Berry <[email protected]> wrote:
> 2010/9/14 Cédric Beust ♔ <[email protected]> > > >> >> On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 1:12 AM, Fernando Cassia <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> >>> If by "knock-offs" you mean copies at the UI level, let me remind you >>> of the Lotus-vs-Borland suit in the early 1990s where it was judged >>> that user interfaces cannot be copyrighted. >>> >> >> And yet, Apple sued HTC a few months ago for infringing on 20+ UI >> patents<http://phandroid.com/2010/03/02/apple-sues-htc-for-patent-infringement/>, >> including "pinch to zoom" (note: patents, not copyrights). >> >> > Do you really think the world would be better if Apple had been able to do > that kind of thing back in the day? Not sure what you mean: Apple (and all US software companies) have been able to do that for a very long time. For example, it took me a couple of minutes to find a UI patent filed by Apple in 1988<http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=JCQdAAAAEBAJ&dq=inassignee:apple&as_drrb_ap=q&as_minm_ap=0&as_miny_ap=&as_maxm_ap=0&as_maxy_ap=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1980&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1990> (this one is about the menu bar). Interestingly, Steve Jobs himself patented the term "personal computer" in 1983<http://www.google.com/patents?id=02coAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false> . -- Cédric -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
