NTP awakes, sues Apple, Microsoft, Google, HTC, LG, and Motorola over wireless email

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/n...-and-motorola/

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Remember NTP? The tiny company with a portfolio of patents on wireless email technology that wrung a $612 million settlement out of RIM in 2006 after years of litigation? Well, get ready to fall in love all over again, because the company just sued Apple, Google, Microsoft, HTC, LG, and Motorola for the same thing. Given the company's protracted history defending its patent portfolio -- the RIM case alone took nearly five years and ultimately involved USPTO re-examining several patents, rejecting some and then ultimately declaring some others valid in 2009 -- we can't see any of this ending quickly or easily, especially with such formidable adversaries aligned as defendants. In particular, we'd note that Apple and Microsoft have a long history of cooperation and cross-licensing in the patent space, so we're sure their lawyers are ready to party down in lawsuit town, and adding Google, Motorola, HTC, and LG to the mix isn't going to make any of this easier for NTP. We'll see what happens -- this one's going to be long and messy. PR after the break.

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LOL, Money grabbers its tech, probably different in some way surely?

Everyone of those companies would go crying off to the law courts if they patent something and it was copied, so why shouldn't NTP. I hope they win their case(s).

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Originally Posted by Jameseh

Everyone of those companies would go crying off to the law courts if they patent something and it was copied, so why shouldn't NTP. I hope they win their case(s).

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Small companies always try to sue big ones, its stupid.

Good ol' American patent system :D Should be shut down and restarted again, where only unique designs, concepts and actions are patented, not technological advances and progression.

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

Good ol' American patent system :D Should be shut down and restarted again, where only unique designs, concepts and actions are patented, not technological advances and progression.

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It confuses me. How could they sue these companies if they got approval by the FDA?

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Originally Posted by HotelUser

It confuses me. How could they sue these companies if they got approval by the FDA?

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You've lost me. I don't know what the FDA, and Google calls it Food and Drug Administration :P It's a dreadful system the patent system. Logically, you'd think when a patent is copied there would be no dispute, but for some reason loop holes crop up which shouldn't really exist - Multi-touch for example, is such a generalised concept yet somehow it can be used on any phone, computer or device even though it shouldn't in theory if a patent is put on it. Makes you wonder why they bother with the system in the US, when they're just "kitty"-footing around it (I say kitty, but I mean to use the 5 letter P word with ussy :P)

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

You've lost me. I don't know what the FDA, and Google calls it Food and Drug Administration :P It's a dreadful system the patent system. Logically, you'd think when a patent is copied there would be no dispute, but for some reason loop holes crop up which shouldn't really exist - Multi-touch for example, is such a generalised concept yet somehow it can be used on any phone, computer or device even though it shouldn't in theory if a patent is put on it. Makes you wonder why they bother with the system in the US, when they're just "kitty"-footing around it (I say kitty, but I mean to use the 5 letter P word with ussy :P)

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The technology industry is a perfect example of why the patent system does fail. I mean, can you think of a successful company who hasn't stolen something from someone else at some time or another?

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Originally Posted by HotelUser

The technology industry is a perfect example of why the patent system does fail. I mean, can you think of a successful company who hasn't stolen something from someone else at some time or another?

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Can't think of any :P Nintendo comes to mind, but I think they've probably done something at some point. The big computer companies are all guilty, but at the same time it's just evolution :/