Although those from Apple were the first to develop a touchscreen that you loved to use, a new American company claims that Apple uses its proprietary technologies in iDevices. Flatworld Interactives is the company that accuses those from Apple and talk about a company that produces tactile displays that are used by museums to present exhibits. The company claims that it developed the technologies used by Apple in the 90s and that it now wants compensation for iDevices and Macs that have been sold on the market until now.
Basically, those from Flatworld Interactives have developed a technology for manipulating images using gestures and there is a good chance that Apple will use it without their consent, but I assume that the lawyers of the American company will find a legal "doorstep" through which to help their client. For now, the trial is at the beginning, it has not been seen by a judge, so I will keep you updated on how it evolves.
Hagens Berman: Lawsuit Claims Wide Range of Apple Devices Infringe Patents for Screen Manipulation
A lawsuit filed yesterday against Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) by the Hagens Berman law firm claims that the computing and consumer-products giant has built many of its most popular devices including the iPhone and iPad using intellectual property owned by a Villanova, Penn. company that developed gesture recognition technology for touchscreens in the mid-1990s.
Flatworld Interactives, LLC received US Patent No. RE 43,318, which includes claims to touch screen based systems that allow users to manipulate images using gestures, such as selecting an image by touching it, and flicking images off of the screen.
The company designed touchscreen systems originally for use in video displays for museums and other exhibit applications.
Hagens Berman's lawsuit was filed on Flatworld's behalf in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges that numerous best-selling Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, iPod Nano, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air infringe the patent. The complaint also alleges that Apple knew about the patent but continued to sell the infringing products.
"Reading Flatworld's patent is like reading the description of gesture recognition features of any of the accused products on Apple's website," said Steve Berman, Hagens Berman's managing partner. "It is clear that Flatworld owns technology that Apple has used to drive billions of dollars in infringing sales."
Flatworld was founded by Dr. Slavko Milekic, a Professor of Cognitive Science & Digital Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Penn. Professor Milekic first developed gesture recognition touch screens for use by children as an easier and more intuitive means of interacting with a computer.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling from the court affirming that Apple has infringed the patent, an injunction enjoining Apple from continued infringement, and an award of damages to compensate Flatworld.
