27 Jan 2009
Apple Awarded Patent For iPhone Interface

What will this mean to other touch screen developers? It'll force them to waste money on lawyers so they can keep doing the things they've been doing for the past ten years...

This is a prime example of what's wrong with the patent system in this country - the sooner we get rid of patents on software (and, by extension, math), the better off we'll be.

Apple's 358-page patent application for their iPhone interface entitled Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics has been approved after more than two years of review by the US Patent Office. Apple's claims include: 'A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command. The one or more heuristics comprise: a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a one-dimensional vertical screen scrolling command, a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a two-dimensional screen translation command, and a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a command to transition from displaying a respective item in a set of items to displaying a next item in the set of items.' As Apple seems eager to defend their intellectual property, what will this mean to other touch developers?

(link) [Slashdot]

07:39 /Copywrongs | 2 comments | permanent link