I don't think the fact that this was brought up in a German court should be considered sneaky. I doubt very much Samsung chose to bring this patent up in a German court just to avoid the scrutiny of blind consumers in the US. This may be unique to a German or European patent. It's also part of a larger patent battle between Samsung and Apple being waged in Europe and the US. Furthermore, Apple and Samsung sell quite a few smart phones in Europe,and there are quite a few blind people in Europe as well.
On 23/02/13 01:29, Frank Ventura wrote: > Wow, if I am reading this correctly Samsung's claim is that tripple > clicking a button to turn VO on or off violates its patents. So they're > saying that pressing a button to turn on a feature is patented? Now > that's kind of broad isn't it? Of course, there is so much more at stake > here. Apple has accessibility onboard to maintain educational and > government contracts. Take that away from them and you can really drive > a stake through Apple's heart. And, doing it in a German court, largely > off of the radar screen of most US consumers is really pretty sneaky. > > Frank Ventura > Email: [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > Voicemail: 781 492-4262 > Imessage: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > *Sent from my Mac Book Air* > > > > On Feb 23, 2013, at 1:55 AM, David Chittenden <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > >> >>> *Subject:* *VoiceOver threatened by Samsung* >>> *Reply-To:* Blind Democracy Discussion List >>> <[email protected] <mailto:[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] <mailto:[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] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected] >> <mailto:[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] >> <mailto:[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. > > -- Christopher (CJ) chaltain at Gmail -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. 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