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Well what do you know, that multi-touch patent Apple was raving about is not as valid as Cupertino folks would like it to be. The US Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) has made a preliminary ruling that the patent number 7,479,949 (so called “Steve Jobs multitouch patent”) is invalid on all 20 points.
If you recall, this is the key patent in all claims of multitouch infringement Apple had against other companies, including the case against Motorola thrown out this past June. In the mentioned case, a federal judge dismissed the suit, even stating that large parts of the patent in question were invalid in his opinion.
Of course, the case won’t end here as Apple will most likely make an appeal. However, it’s fair to argue it won’t be able to prevent other companies from using touchscreens that support multi-touch. Cause it’s not like there were no devices before the iPhone that had the capability…
[Via: FossPatents, AndroidCentral]
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
