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Comment by Groxx | Hacker News Reader

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Groxx·

>Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patent and the Apple App Makers are protected by that license.

That's a very good thing to hear. And extremely definitive. I'd imagine devs are breathing a lot easier now.

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>That's a very good thing to hear.

It would be but for the distinction between "undisputedly" and "undisputably". All this says is that it hasn't been disputed, not that it can't be.

I think Apple meant something very specific as any other reading doesn't make sense. They are saying it is "above dispute". Apple knows what they licensed.

They aren't saying "above dispute", they are saying "has not been disputed" (and implying that it will not be disputed, but it could).

It's actually a little scary for non-ios devs; isn't Apple recognizing that the patent is valid?

Apple actually has a license for the patent. So yes, but in a much more direct way than you suggest.

That the patent exists and was legally acquired is not up for debate.

I should have asked: Does Apple's license make it harder for someone else to challenge the patent?

I assumed it would, but if I'm reading MedImmune v. Genentech correctly then it doesn't even make it harder for Apple to challenge.

No one is questioning the existence of the patent - it's the validity of the patent that's being doubted. Given the current processes followed by the USPTO, existence says _nothing_ for its validity.

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