British inventor seeks to take $18B bite out of Apple in bitter patent war | Hacker News Reader

British inventor seeks to take $18B bite out of Apple in bitter patent war

theguardian.com

49 pointssaintlunaire15 comments

A detailed overview of the allegedly infringed upon patents can be found at http://patentlyo.com/media/2015/02/6-13-cv-00447-JRG-KNM-423...

And then to view the patents themselves, Google has a pretty good site where you can enter US patent numbers, like https://patents.google.com/patent/US7334720B2/en

Knowing nothing about patents and only briefly scrolling through this... wouldn't porn be prior art? Pay for access to content?

By virtue of filing in Tyler Texas makes you a patent troll in my eyes.

I feel icky just having been dragged there once as a child.

The patent office or Texas in general?

Based on hearing of Apple’s price gouging behavior for their App Store, especially their poopy-baby response to losing IAP rules in the Epic lawsuit, I would be pleased if he won.

Additionally this might be a good opportunity to donate to a F Apple campaign by donating to this guys legal battle. Just to send the message.

What exactly is in the patent? A broad description of iTunes’ functions or what? The article doesn’t mention.

This article [1] I found from 2017 goes into a tiny bit more detail:

Smartflash was founded in 2000 by inventor Patrick Racz, who obtained several patents on a system for storing data like songs, videos and games and accessing that data through electronic payments systems. Racz was unable to commercialize the technology and Smartflash sells no products of its own.

And then on the connection with Apple:

Smartflash’s complaint alleged that Racz has discussed his ideas in 2000 with a technologist who later became a senior director at Apple.

The Guardian however states:

But in the fallout from 9/11 and the dotcom crash, Spears and Gemplus pulled out, and Racz says in court that Gemplus – also a partner to Apple – then claimed the product as its own.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1685D5/

Spears here is Britney Spears, who signed up as brand ambassador.

Sounds like things that had no business being patented.

Actually a very detailed description, including the depiction of an iPod as the device, of iTunes / what later became the App Store.

He tried to patent.... the store... the digital store...

Seems like the idea's been around a while https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_store

Why does The Guardian insist on putting Betsy Reed‘s emotionless face on every American article?

>”I lost everything. I had young children. I was embarrassed”

Are you trying to feel that way again?

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