Originally posted 2005-08-10 20:45:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
PC Pro reports Apple fails to Patent the iPod interface
Apple has failed in an attempt to patent the iPod interface after the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled that a similar patent had already been registered.
In 2002, a few months before Apple’s application, inventor John Platt submitted his own application for a menu-based media player. And the description is remarkably similar to the method for operating an iPod.
. . .
Apple now has three months to appeal against the decision. Should it fail, the implications are unclear though it could open the way for Platt to demand royalties from Apple and other portable player manufacturers who use a similar navigational method.
Patent lawyers — is this kind of thing supposed to happen to companies like Apple? I’m just asking.
UPDATE: Perhaps a little less enjoyment of uncertainty than some may have anticipated…
This post first appeared on LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION® | Ron Coleman's Blog On Trademark, Copyright, Internet Law And Free Speech, please read the originial post: here
