Apple Cries About Samsung and Motorola's Patent "Monopoly"
Stuff it, Apple. Time for a taste of your own patent trolling medicine.
Yes, this is the same Apple that has initiated a patent war [1][2][3][4][5] with these smartphone rivals. And it’s the same rival that has tried to remove competing products from the market, rather than agree to negotiate a licensing fee. And it’s the same company that patented multi-touch gestures 26 years after they were invented at a research university. And it’s the same company that allegedly doctored evidence in European courts [1][2] to support its lawsuits against Android.
Yet in Apple’s rose-colored glasses it is Samsung and Motorola who are bullies. Apparently Apple is irate about these companies’ countersuits, which rely largely on patents covering wireless communications.
Many of these patents are governed by the “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” (F/RAND) principle, as they were developed as part of industry standards. Basically the premise is that R&D companies are guaranteed to be paid, but generally have to license F/RAND patents to whoever wants to use them.
But given Apple’s legal belligerence, the carriers have made a special exception when it comes to Apple. And Apple, struggling in court, is growing increasingly frustrated.
