The announcements during the last week, that Google's Motorola Mobility is bringing a case of infringement against Apple Inc., shines a spotlight again on the value of intellectual property within the everyday use of the mobile phone. Most people use a mobile phone or iPad with little reference to the effort that has been expended in developing its technology or design - and many teenagers appear to believe that they have a right to own and use a phone 24-7, with little regard to the history of the invention.
Motorola Mobility argues in its recent complaint that Apple has infringed 7 Motorola patents: 5,883,580, 5,922,047, 6,425,002, 6,983,370, 6,493,673, 7,007,064 and 7,383,983. This allegedly encompasses a multitude of products such as Apple's iPod Touch, the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, the iPad 2, the "new" iPad, the Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and all other Apple devices "which utilize wireless communication technologies to manage various messages and content."
The cited patents cover: messaging devices that process messages logically for a user in the context of space (location) and time; communications and control systems for multimedia (wide ranging); programmed instructions including a message manager program for accepting and dispatching messages; the ability to sync the messaging capabilities of multiple devices; announcements to be read to a user and an input element that allows an audible user input to be converted into text string; apparatus and method for obtaining and managing wirelessly communicated content, and pausing content in one device and resuming playback of the content in another device that may be in a different domain.
The method of managing wireless communicated content and the
ability to sync the messaging capabilities of multiple devices are
illustrated in the patent documents as the concepts shown below.
This of course is useful for those active in the patent profession,
but perhaps not so useful to educate the general user of the
importance of these patents.
Thompson Reuters here have however usefully published their illustrations of the elements of IP that are relevant to Apple's claims on infringements made by Samsung in their various mobile and tablet devices. These mention categories of claims relating to the technological inventions, registered designs, and trade marks (utility patents, design patents, trademarks and trade dress in US terms). Their graphic of the day – in a form much easier for teenagers to understand – is shown below:
Mobile phone and wireless technology has evolved considerably over the past 3 decades from a situation which most teenagers would not comprehend. Innovation is often taken for granted. "You mean that you had to sit still in one communal place in the house to make a phone call?! – and the phones were how big?!", I hear them say... "Why did people do that?!" The comments on a recent technical blog also show how attitudes on "what is right" amongst younger groups are towards keeping everything open with the internet and popular technology rather than rewarding or recognising the hard efforts of innovation and commerce.
Looking at published patents on the landscape in 1979 compared to 2009 shows the growth of innovation over this time. From a sparse landscape in 1989 to one that is highly populated today has required the development of all aspects of mobile phone technology- and those that have brought the associated much sought after and demanded lifestyle by the younger generation, deserve to be given some recognition.
The first patent landscape below shows the start of innovation in the mobile space with few patent families (denoted by red dots) being published in the early 80′s.
In 2009 the picture was quite different with a multitude of inventions and patent families (red dots) covering a wide range of technological developments.
The technological developments that are highlighted above – and many more besides – have enabled the mobile phone to progress from the heavy suitcase-sized objects used for emergency communications when travelling to remote locations, to the pocket handy phone/camera/music player/calculator/web browser/gaming device of today. It is not surprising that those investing significantly in these developments and IP protection will wish to retain their market position. The reality is an assertion of justifiable rights and the patent wars that follow...
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