Johnny B Goode Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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From the huffington post link. Apple won on the following patents:
Patent 381 covers smartphone's ability to drag documents, rotate by twisting, and zoom in by pitching (this includes the "bounce back" feature).
Patent 915 covers how we scroll through documents using one finger.
patent 163 covers the tap-to-zoom functionality found in Google Maps and other map apps.
Patents 667 and 087 cover the exterior of the iPhone. Somehow, Apple was able to patent and successfully defend a claim to phone that are rectangular with rounded edges and rounded backs.
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One of the things that screwed samsung over was referencing the iphone in internal emails during the design phase. That being said, how else can someone zoom conveniently without pinching, scroll without dragging? Imagine if Canon sued Tamron because their focus rings rotated in the same direction, or the aperture blades made similar shapes. Sounds silly now because of the standard that's been set. If we just now discovered how to make cameras would this be a dependable patent? Maybe that's too different of a comparison, maybe not though.
With regards to the drug companies....
Typically with pharmaceutical patents the companies have 7 years (from what I remember) to be the sole distributor of the "formula". After those 7 years the formula is able to be used as a generic prescription by other companies. To keep the patent the drug company needs to find a new use for the drug separate from the original. I haven't read anything about a company changing the appearance to get an extension.
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