Apple granted swipe to unlock patent...

[John Kotches]

I don't blame Apple for this, but I think this is a perfect example of how broken the US patent system is. A patent for "swipe to unlock" was granted (took 5 years to get it). This affects just about every non-apple smart phone out there.

More details available at this link.


This isn't a "beat up on Apple", they understand the rules of the patent game and a former employer of mine (IBM) also understood the game.

 

[meStevo]

There's prior art, they won't ever sue anyone for this, as they'll lose it. It's just a defensive patent.

 

[John Kotches]

There's prior art, they won't ever sue anyone for this, as they'll lose it. It's just a defensive patent.

If there's prior art, the USPTO shouldn't have granted the patent to begin with...