Iphone patent looks to kill competition

Hey fellow touch arcadians,

I thought the below two articles are very interesting. The new psp is maybe going to use a touch screen similar to iPhone. The second article mentions that Apple has now been approved for a patent that many features of the iphone use for touch screen. Looks like Apple wants to kill competitors using their user interface.

http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/nex...e-iphone-rumor
1 hour ago — by: Steve Tags: News
Speak of the devil! In last week's editorial, we were talking about how , provided that Apple actually felt like making an effort. Now a rumor is circulating that the next-gen PSP will have a multitouch interface like the iPhone's, suggesting that Sony's worried sick about competition with Apple.
IGN heard from "several credible sources" that the PSP 2 is well into development, and definitely packs multitouch functionality. The article goes on to mention a (supposedly) leaked internal survey for PSP customers asking which features they'd like to see in the PSP 2, numbering such wishlist items as a cell connection, internal memory, and GPS... all iPhone staples.
This article seems to have touched a nerve, as the response from another source "close to Sony" was somewhat less than professional. "Clearly, being a quiet time of year, many, what we thought to be credible websites, are making up stories about PSP2, and how it allows you to teleport across the globe, travel through time, and will be powered by the horns of baby rhinoceroses. Hopefully, you can sense a mild tone of sarcasm, which should hopefully indicate how ‘on the money’ IGN are. Needless to say, we don't comment on rumour or speculation, but this is nonsense.”
Relax, Sony! We believe you. Really.

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Vario...ws.asp?c=11193
Apple awarded multi-touch patent, PSP2 and Pre stymied?
Could spell bad news for Palm and the PSP2

Product: iPhone news
Manufacturer: Apple

by Spanner Spencer
At the end of December, Apple was awarded a patent it applied for way back in April 2008, according to Mashable.com.

This patent is for "Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics", which is essentially translated as a multi-touch touchscreen.

So what? Other companies can't use the iPhone's technology, right? Well, that's true, but it also seems to cover the way users interact with a touchscreen, as actions like pinching and pulling come under the cryptic 'heuristics' phrase.

The most immediate threat is to Palm, with its CES show-stopper, the Palm Pre.

This gorgeous new handset uses very similar interface options to the iPhone, despite the operating systems being completely different. If this patent holds true, it could prohibit Palm from allowing these kinds of user operations and seriously shackle the Pre's usability.

And if rumours regarding the PSP2 are to be believed, the hardware update could be stymied before it even gets going, as the latest reports suggest a multi-touch interface on Sony's system as well.

We'll have to wait and see how Apple chooses to handle the competition concerning its new patent, but we might finally know what the company's new CEO Tim Cook was talking about when he said "[Apple] will not stand for having our IP ripped off, and we'll use whatever weapons that we have at our disposal."

Troubled times ahead.

 

I remember back from business law classes, a patent is not considered a monopoly if companies can use the same features. However, the patent mentioning that companies cannot use the pinch or other touch features, but say they have a button on the psp2 that allows a close up view, that would not be considered a patent infringement. I'm not really sure if this would be a monopoly or not, I was a few years out of college when the M$ monopoly was going down.