Amazing how different courts around the world can come to different conclusions with respect to the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung.
Most of the dispute concerns trash patents to start with. Those who should really be brought to court are the patent offices. They have become businesses dependent on number of patents approved. This has lowered the bar for what is being patented to the ridiculous.
Take for example the sliding movement to unlock the screen of a mobile device. The concept is identical to that of a mechanical light switch. Anyone with basic IT skills can create a program to read the movement and activate or deactivate some feature. In other words, this is a copy of prior design and requires no major effort in research and development.
Similarly, patenting rounded corners on a rectangular device is beyond ridiculous. The argument that protecting such ‘design features’ as rounded corners will eventually be good for consumers as it will force design innovation and competition is also beyond belief. What protecting such ridiculousness will do is keep prices very high as companies will have to invest massively in lawyers, patent fees, and in small production series.
It is high time that governments intervene. The current patent system should be redesigned to truly patent only major innovations for which no prior design can be demonstrated, for which practical application can be made plausible, and for which some effort having been made can be demonstrated. Piecemeal extension of patients should be restricted or abolished. Current patent offices should dismantled with all senior staff fired for not doing the job they should have been doing. New patent offices should be set up in such a way that they are rewarded for only approving real innovations and refusing all the ridiculous trash patent requests.
It is also high time that consumers give off a clear signal to companies who currently use courts to protect their overpriced products and lack of true innovation. How many models of the iPhone are there versus how many models of Samsung Android and Windows phones? Which company is thus more innovative and at the same time at competitive or even lower prices? Which company is trying to protect patents on rounded corners?
Even with respect to their operating system Apple cannot be considered innovative. iOS is based on OpenBSD, a community product not developed by Apple. OpenBSD is a Unix derivative, just like Linux, the basis of Android. However, neither Google nor Samsung overstate their level of innovation, acknowledge the roots of their operating system. Apple does not.
I dare predict that any company which only sees court action as a way to survive its lack of true innovation is on the way to becoming obsolete. Time for consumers to give a very clear message: sell any Apple stock you have as long as it is so overpriced as it currently is. Boycott Apple products in favor of more innovative products offered at more competitive prices.