• USPTO Revalidates Apple's Massive "Steve Jobs Patent"

    by
    Akshay Masand
    Published on 2013-10-18 10:10 AM
    3 Comments Comments


    At the end of last year, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in response to a challenge preliminarily invalidated the so-called “Steve Jobs patent,” which is a massive 364-page patent with 293 pages of drawings dating back to September 2006 and covering many details of the original iPhone. Jobs is listed as the first of over two dozen inventors on the patent and it is considered perhaps the most famous of his over 300 credits patents.

    As noted by Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents, the USPTO has completed its reexamination of the patent and ruled that all twenty claims have been confirmed as patentable. This significantly strengthens a patent that has been used against several of Apple’s competitors in court. The following was mentioned regarding the matter:

    As we speak, the Steve Jobs patent is even stronger than it was before someone (presumably Samsung and Google) challenged it anonymously. On September 4, 2013, the USPTO issued a reexamination certificate confirming the patentability of all 20 claims because the prior art neither anticipated this invention nor renders it obvious.
    Several of Apple’s key patents have been challenged for reexamination as its competitors have sought to derail Apple’s claims against them in various court battles. Although the USPTO has issued preliminary “first office actions” invalidating those patents in some cases, Apple has been successful in arguing its case and ultimately restoring the validity of at least the most important claims of those patents. In an example from earlier this year, a key claim of Apple’s “rubber banding” patent used against Samsung was confirmed after having been preliminarily invalidated last year.

    The news overall is a big win in Apple’s favor.

    Source: FOSS Patents
    This article was originally published in forum thread: USPTO Revalidates Apple's Massive "Steve Jobs Patent" started by Akshay Masand View original post
    1. Categories:
    2. Apple
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. zrevai's Avatar
      zrevai - 2013-10-18, 02:29 PM
      The whole iPhone Keynote as "Prior Art" was a desperate Hail Mary attempt by the copycats who used the rubber banding in their own products. Now the copycats are probably panicking at the failed invalidation of Apples patents and it serves them right.
    1. Feanor64's Avatar
      Feanor64 - 2013-10-18, 07:07 PM
      It's amazing what giving money to politicians can do.
    1. stolenpentium's Avatar
      stolenpentium - 2013-10-19, 02:15 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Feanor64 View Post
      It's amazing what giving money to politicians can do.
      It's amazing how truth sets you free.

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