Apple's helpful guidelines for competitors to avoid patent infringement

[kartu]

No, this is not a joke.

In its public legal brief from Nov. 28, Apple (In section 2-40 and 2-41) lays out what Samsung could have done differently to avoid "slavishly" copying the iPhone and iPad designs:

Apple offers alternative smartphone designs Samsung could have used instead:

1. Front surfaces that are not black or clear
2. Front surfaces that are not rectangular, not flat, and without rounded corners
3. Display screens that are more square than rectangular or not rectangular at all
4. Display screens that are not centered on the front surface of the phone and that have substantial lateral borders
5. Speaker openings that are not horizontal slots with rounded ends and that are not centered above the display screen
6. Front surfaces that contain substantial adornment
7. Phones without bezels at all or very different-looking bezels that are not thin, uniform, and with an inwardly sloping profile

The tablet alternatives Apple felt Samsung should have explored:

1. Overall shapes that are not rectangular with four flat sides or that do not have four rounded corners
2. Front surfaces that are not completely flat or clear and that have substantial adornment
3. Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface
4. Profiles that are not thin
5. A cluttered appearance (no, this is still not a joke)

The worst part of it is, that this "you gotta be kidding me" statement is in line with Dusseldorf court ruling discussed here and as you can see it doesn't affect only Samsung.

[rhadin]

It just confirms for me that I have been making smart buying decisions all these years by avoiding Apple products altogether. I'd hate to think that I was contributing to Jobs' increasing insanity; now I have a clear conscience.

[sabredog]

If someone released an updated abacus, Apple would sue because it violated one of their patents...

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by kartu

Front surfaces that are not black or clear

Hm, my HTC has a front surface that is both black and clear. I mean, how could I see the screen if it doesn't have a clear front surface! The only difference is that there is a whitish border around the front surface.

Originally Posted by kartu

Front surfaces that are not rectangular, not flat, and without rounded corners

My front surface is rectangular (16:9), flat and has rounded corners. So, apple wants tablet makers to make a 16:9 device that doesn't have a rectangular surface? And it must have ridges?

Originally Posted by kartu

Display screens that are more square than rectangular or not rectangular at all

So, Apple has the 4:3 format. Which is more square than rectangular. All 16:9 tablets are more rectangular (simply do the math...) than square but this would be forbidden by Apple?

Originally Posted by kartu

Display screens that are not centered on the front surface of the phone and that have substantial lateral borders

People like symetrical forms. It's part of our nature. And Apple wants to be the only one that is allowed to make symetrical forms?

Originally Posted by kartu

Front surfaces that contain substantial adornment

In general, people like clean designs. This has always been the goal for all gadget makers. Apple would forbid this?

Originally Posted by kartu

Phones without bezels at all or very different-looking bezels that are not thin, uniform, and with an inwardly sloping profile

No bezel is unusable. And different-looking bezels that not uniform won't attract people, never would.

So, Apple would love for other tablet and phone makers to make such an ugly phone, that would go against all what people find attractive, that people simply wouldn't have a choice if they wanted an attractive device.

[tubemonkey]

I've been liberated. I just got a Galaxy Player and now my iPod touch belongs to a family member.

All hail the mighty Google

[xg4bx]

crap like this is why an apple product will never enter my house. pardon my french but they're douche bags.

[HappyMartin]

I think it is funny. I had a go but seem unable to rouse any anger in myself over this rather daft set of "hints".

Surely with this law makers will see the ridiculousness of the complaint and chuck it out? If Apple pull this off then the joke is on the courts.

[mr ploppy]

If only Apple had patented the shiny reflective computer screen too. They could have called it the iStrain.

[sabredog]

Have some karma!

[Belfaborac]

I really rather like a number of Apple's products, but I've never even considered buying one and I never will. There's just no way I'm prepared to support this kind of malevolent business practice.

[kartu]

PS
Shamelessly stolen fom netbooknews.de that shamelessly stole it from somewhere else.

PPS
Doh, screen is still rectangular...

[wizwor]

Rumor has it that anytime you use your fingers you are violating an Apple patent.

[wayrad]

OK, how about a clear back surface? You would access the battery from the front. Speaker on the back, camera on the front (with possibly a back-facing camera on some models). The device's orientation during use would be entirely different from Apple's.

Update a couple of diagrams in the instructions, and you're set.

[no.guru]

Never been a fan of Microsoft's business practices, either, but at least when they went after Linux for patent violations they did so under the table through a third company.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by sabredog

If someone released an updated abacus, Apple would sue because it violated one of their patents...

Yes, and nobody else is suing anyone over ridiculous patents... it's all that nasty Apple's fault, those sweet people at Microsoft, Google, HTC, Samsung, Sun etc etc wouldn't think of doing such things...