Apple Multitouch Patent Revalidated in Full by USPTO
Nine months after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues a tentative first office action invalidating an Apple multitouch patent, they have reversed its initial determination to confirm all claims as patentable. This is the patent that has been credited in part to cofounder Steve Jobs, and one which is being asserted against Motorola, Google, and Samsung in litigation. The USPTO’s decision ends the examination and subsequent re-examination of Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 7,479,949 after an anonymous ex parte request to review back in December 2012. Titled “Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics,” the ’949 patent is broad and covers functional aspects of multitouch screens like those found in many smart devices. It has been speculated that Samsung, Google, or both due to the ongoing legal struggles those companies have with Apple. However, the Apple patent is now stronger than ever, and Apple’s litigation efforts should be bolstered by the USPTO’s confirmation — certainly the exact opposite effect of the party who requested the review in the first place.
For more information on this topic, please visit our Patent Protection service page.
Klemchuk LLP is an Intellectual Property (IP), Technology, Internet, and Business law firm located in Dallas, TX. The firm offers comprehensive legal services including litigation and enforcement of all forms of IP as well as registration and licensing of patents, trademarks, trade dress, and copyrights. The firm also provides a wide range of technology, Internet, e-commerce, and business services including business planning, formation, and financing, mergers and acquisitions, business litigation, data privacy, and domain name dispute resolution. Additional information about the IP law firm and its IP law attorneys may be found at www.klemchuk.com.
Klemchuk LLP hosts Culture Counts, a blog devoted to the discussion of law firm culture and corporate core values with frequent topics about positive work environment, conscious capitalism, entrepreneurial management, positive workplace culture, workplace productivity, and corporate core values.