iOS coders getting sent legal docs about patent infringement after making in-app purchases available in their apps.
http://www.cultofmac.com/ios-devs-under-fire-by-patent-troll-for-offering-in-app-purchases/94916
Let's hope Apple give these patent trolls a good kicking.
Indeed!
Amazing
It's probably a good strategy, but that's so unfairly cruel. A link on the page even tells of another company suing devs for an "Upgrade" button! (i.e. a LINK in the Lite app to the full version on the app store...)
Quite shocking to be honest. Though I would like to add that some devs have abused the system with their In App purchases.
Its the end of In App purchase, don't want it now. lol.
The patent system itself needs fixed, there are way too many simple generalised ideas patented, I see a point in the future where you will not be able to do anything without a patent infringement. It could stifle innovation eventually too.
Innovators need a method of protecting their ideas of course but there are those who are abusing the system today and this guy is one of them.
Wave a few dollars in front of the American patent people and they will happily give you one.
Until Americans fix their patent system these things will happen more and more... Unfortunately they wont fix it because people would complain about it - even though it would help things...
Unless you can contain it, you can not get a patent, copyright or trademark for something like a golf swing.
Of course... but taking patents to these extremes is just wrong.
Oh my God, the crazy patents about ideas. I think Apple who is offering the service and the API must to defend their system and help the developers (they pay to Apple for use the AppStore).
Quote from: matchy on 2011-May-15
Unless you can contain it, you can not get a patent, copyright or trademark for something like a golf swing.
But "contain" is still quite open to interpretations.
Somehow it all reminded me of Tesla.
Unless he was an artist, that's the complete opposite of Tesla. What is a more appropriate term then for golf grip example?
Agree, but it just reminded me on a larger scale considering lawsuits and patents and power and money, nothing to do with the actual case.
What company do you guys think is suing around?
I do believe this case will get settled, it seems to me, depending on the suing company, that they want to get a share on apple by attacking their followers devs... or is just another case of unemployed lawyers... :P
Wow this is nasty. Lodsys is the one who is behind it. http://www.lodsys.com/blog.html (http://www.lodsys.com/blog.html). Looks like they had to setup a website just to handle it. Funny that they are only going to answer questions through the website. Apple, Google and Microsoft will need to get involved with this. This is going to cause a lot of harm to small developers who do not need this. Especially us.
Wow, I don't get it. I read the entire Lodsys blog. It doesn't mention anywhere what their patent actually is. It was patented in 1993 so must have been pretty general.
Do they have a patent on selling anything for money? No.
Do they have a patent on selling anything electronically? I don't know.
Is it only when specifically an apps sells further add-ons related to the original app?
An internet browser is technically an app, so any purchases made via a browser qualifies?
I think the answer will be first to define what the patent says.
Then change one small thing to make this patent not apply.
ie. instead of 'in-app', have a secondary app for purchasing 'add-on' contents, then it's no longer 'in-app'.
Time to get the lawyers out.
To fix a problem created by other lawyers.
Hmm, I see a pattern, and a definite solution . . . get rid of the lawyers! 8)
[Edit] Come on! In-App purchases isn't even an invention. It's just where you are selling a product from. Can you patent selling on a street corner? Patent blimp banners advertising products! To what end?
No code should be patentable, nor should a broad description be. Whole products should be though.
From the iOS dev forums:
QuoteWell, hyperbolae aside, what they seem to have a patent on is systems where users of a product send feedback to the developers as they use it, so the developers can see which parts of the product are most popular etc. It's described as an alternative to market research or coventional product testing that gets results faster. "Send feedback" explicitly includes the possibility of making a purchase, i.e. the developer knows which features of the app are popular because they count how many times IAP is used to enable those features.
Quoteit would have to pay 0.575% of US revenue
QuoteLodsys says that Apple, Google and Microsoft have already licensed the necessary patents. As it stands, each of these companies that licensed the patent are not able to provide the same rights for third-party business applications
QuoteMy App doesn't offer In App Purchases. It has a Link to the Full-Version and has a search engine, but any interaction with users are patented by Lodsys.
I cannot believe it. How can they get a patent to user-interaction itself. Here in Germany it is not patentable.
The last quote is AMAZING.
Quotebut any interaction with users are patented by Lodsys.
We must be nearing the end of the world.
Indeed we are. Zechariah e.g. claims in chapter 14, that the messiah will be back, putting his feet on the mount of olives. The mountain splits up and there's a well that fills the dead sea with fresh water. (read it up, it's written ~600 BC).
However! Scientists calculated, that the dead sea will go dry in about 50 years. Others say 200 years and there are plans to dig a channel to the sea to slow it down. Fact is - when the messiah appears physically, the dead sea will still be a sea.
...just a quick detail of the many details we can find when we read properly.
Quote from: Kitty Hello on 2011-May-17
Indeed we are. Zechariah e.g. claims in chapter 14, that the messiah will be back, putting his feet on the mount of olives. The mountain splits up and there's a well that fills the dead sea with fresh water. (read it up, it's written ~600 BC).
However! Scientists calculated, that the dead sea will go dry in about 50 years. Others say 200 years and there are plans to dig a channel to the sea to slow it down. Fact is - when the messiah appears physically, the dead sea will still be a sea.
...just a quick detail of the many details we can find when we read properly.
WOW!!!
you probably read it somewhere else but:
http://www.geekosystem.com/apple-letter-to-lodsys/
Yep. It doesn't mean it's over though... Lodsys could very well fire back a response, especially since Apple clearly state "Second, while we are not privy to all of Lodsys's infringement contentions" Maybe there's something else that Apple need to be aware of. We'll need to wait another week for Lodsys' lawyers to speak.
Hopefully it's all over though :)
Considering, as far as I know, that a add-on to do in-app purchasing within an GLB app doesn't exist then it pretty much gives us that "wait and see" stance. Or did someone come up with it already?
Cheers
Indeed - it's not really of any consequence to us GLB users, as we can't add In App Purchases to our stuff (yet). However, who knows - I never ever expected to be able to create a game for iPhone but GLB eventually allowed me to do this. Gernot, Ocean, MrTAToad etc. etc. are a very talented bunch of people that actively add to GLB. I wouldn't rule anything out.
It is not InApp related. If you put a button that opens AppStore with your full app, it could be "sued".
About InApp, you will see it sooner than later :whistle:
Look like Lodsys wasn't put off by Apple's letter. They decided to actually file suits against the developers.
http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/05/lodsys-sues-7-app-developers-in-eastern.html (http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/05/lodsys-sues-7-app-developers-in-eastern.html)
I honestly think Apple should go after them and take them through the cleaners. For one invalidating these patents would be a start.
Software Patents are a true sham.
Apple says in a letter send to Lodsys: "developers are covered by our license".
Apple is licensed to all four of the patents in the Lodsys portfolio. As Lodsys itself advertises on its website, Apple is licensed for its nameplate products and services. Under its license, Apple is entitled to offer these licensed products and services to its customers and business partners, who, in turn, have the right to use them.
http://www.macworld.com/article/160031/2011/05/apple_legal_lodsys_letter_text.html
And Lodsys says that not. Also, they say "we will pay $1000 to anyone who received a letter from us or will receive if we are wrong"