Just curious, is it possible that Samsung is thinking about capturing some of the blind/visually impaired consumer smartphone market from Apple, albeit in a very nasty and unwise way? Does anyone know if Samsung is working on some major smartphone accessibility project?
On 2/23/13, Aman Singer <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi. > The patent does not simply apply to the home button, at least as > originally submitted. Despite that, I would say that any reaction at > the moment is a bit overblown, after all, the court did stay the > action on this patent for now with a plain hint that the ruling in the > federal court was likely to turn out badly for Samsung. In any case, > from reading the patent > (the US version of the patent, anyway, I don't read German, the patent > seems to have other issues, it is very wide and I know of two products > which did this even before the Korean patent which the American and > German patents are based on was issued back in 1999. Samsung has > already narrowed the patent significantly, but according to the judge, > eeven the narrowed patent is unlikely to succeed. I haven't seen the > narrowed patent description, and don't know where it can be found > online if it can be found at all. The US patent is at > http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6937700.PN.&OS=PN/6937700&RS=PN/6937700 > The german patent, for those of us who know that language, is at > http://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/pat/PatSchrifteneinsicht?docId=DE000010040386B4&page=1&dpi=150&lang=de > and a blogger's description of the stay and reasons for it is at > http://www.fosspatents.com/2013/02/german-court-stays-samsungs-voiceover.html > The blogger, Florian Mueller, has a bunch of interesting links with > his own views about the case and seems to link to source documents > when he can, which is great. I got the links I pasted in above from > his site. Personally, I suspect this is unimportant, I would be > surprised if Samsung's patent was upheld, if Apple were found to have > infringed it and, even if those two astonishing things come to pass, > if Samsung and Apple don't work something out as a licensing > arrangement. Remember that this is all part of a much larger situation > which is worldwide and which is about many other patents/issues. > Aman > > > > > On 2/23/13, Robert Fenton <[email protected]> wrote: >> The article that was quoted here was originally published by the BBC. >> However, several of the financial and technology publications have also >> picked this up. There's no question that the thoughts behind the article >> are >> legitimate. >> >> Bob Fenton >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On 2013-02-23, at 12:51 PM, David Chittenden <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> I do not know. I received the message from another list. I'm sure if you >>> do a google search, you will be able to find the publication. >>> >>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA >>> Email: [email protected] >>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> On 24/02/2013, at 2:30, Craig Werner <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> David, what is the source of this article? For whom does Leo Kelion >>>> write? >>>> >>>> Craig >>>> >>>> On 2/23/13, David Chittenden <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Subject: VoiceOver threatened by Samsung >>>>>> Reply-To: Blind Democracy Discussion List >>>>>> <[email protected]> >>>>>> >>>>>> Even if Samsung does not succeed in their action, the very fact >>>>>> they've >>>>>> even tried it guarantees I will never buy a Samsung product. >>>>>> And to think Samsung was instrumental in establishing the guide dog >>>>>> school >>>>>> in Korea. >>>>>> Unconscionable. >>>>>> Alice >>>>>> Samsun g struggles to block iPhone function for the blindBy Leo >>>>>> Kelion >>>>>> >>>>>> Technology reporter >>>>>> >>>>>> The VoiceOver function is designed to help >>>>>> blind and partially sighted consumers use the >>>>>> iPhone Samsung has suffered a setback in its >>>>>> effort to win an iPhone ban based on a function >>>>>> making its software accessible to blind people. >>>>>> >>>>>> The South Korean firm had sought an injunction in >>>>>> a German court arguing Apple's VoiceOver >>>>>> screen-access facility infringed one of its patents. >>>>>> >>>>>> However, the judge has ordered the case to be >>>>>> suspended pending another ruling that could invalidate Samsung's >>>>>> claim. >>>>>> >>>>>> Disability campaigners had expressed concern about the case. >>>>>> >>>>>> Apple's VoiceOver function is used by blind and >>>>>> partially-sighted people to hear a description of >>>>>> what the iPhone is showing by touching its screen. >>>>>> >>>>>> The software covers text and icons including >>>>>> audio descriptions of the battery level and >>>>>> network signal. It also allows the phones to be >>>>>> operated via Braille-based add-ons. >>>>>> >>>>>> Samsung had argued that Apple had failed to >>>>>> licence a patent it owned which describes >>>>>> pressing a button to make a handset describe its >>>>>> display. The basis for this was that VoiceOver >>>>>> could be switched on by triple-clicking the iPhone's home button. >>>>>> >>>>>> Apple declined to comment. >>>>>> >>>>>> A statement from Samsung said: "For decades, we >>>>>> have heavily invested in pioneering the >>>>>> development of technological innovations in the >>>>>> mobile industry, which have been constantly reflected in our >>>>>> products. >>>>>> >>>>>> "We continue to believe that Apple has infringed >>>>>> our patented mobile technologies, and we will >>>>>> continue to take the measures necessary to >>>>>> protect our intellectual property rights." >>>>>> >>>>>> 'Regrettable in the extreme' >>>>>> >>>>>> Patent consultant Florian Muller, who was first >>>>>> to report the Mannheim Court's decision, questioned Samsung's >>>>>> tactics. >>>>>> >>>>>> "If Samsung had only requested monetary >>>>>> compensation in this action, it would have made a >>>>>> much better choice than by trying to achieve, >>>>>> through the pursuit of an injunction, the >>>>>> deactivation or (more realistically) degradation >>>>>> of the voiceover functionality Apple provides to >>>>>> its German customers," he wrote on his blog. >>>>>> >>>>>> The British Computer Association of the Blind >>>>>> said it was worried such an important feature might be threatened. >>>>>> >>>>>> "A lack of access to information is arguably the >>>>>> biggest potential barrier to inclusion in society >>>>>> for blind and partially-sighted people," a spokesman told the BBC. >>>>>> >>>>>> "If something as important as access to telephone >>>>>> technology had been blocked by the actions of one >>>>>> company over another the consequences for blind >>>>>> people everywhere would be regrettable in the extreme." >>>>>> >>>>>> The Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD tech site was more damning. >>>>>> >>>>>> "Leaving aside the ethics of asserting a patent >>>>>> against a feature designed to help the blind, >>>>>> this is unwise," wrote John Paczkowski. >>>>>> >>>>>> "It's the PR equivalent of punching yourself in >>>>>> the face. Samsung has now identified itself as a >>>>>> company willing to accept the loss of >>>>>> accessibility for the vision-impaired as >>>>>> collateral damage in its battle with Apple." >>>>>> >>>>>> Apple and Samsung have fought a number of patent >>>>>> cases against each other in courts across the world. >>>>>> >>>>>> The biggest award involved a US jury ordering >>>>>> Samsung to pay Apple $1.05bn (£688m) in damages. >>>>>> The judge in the case later rejected Apple's call >>>>>> for the sum to be increased and a sales ban on some Samsung handsets. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> Blind-Democracy mailing list >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>>> Google >>>>> Group. >>>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>>>> 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/viphone?hl=en. >>>>> --- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups >>>>> "VIPhone" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an >>>>> email to [email protected]. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>> Google Group. >>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>>> 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/viphone?hl=en. >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups >>>> "VIPhone" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an >>>> email to [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>> Google Group. >>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>> 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/viphone?hl=en. >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups >>> "VIPhone" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google >> Group. >> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> 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/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > To search the VIPhone public archive, visit > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > 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/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. 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