David Sarno / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Patents in Apple-HTC case filed in 1994 and 1996, long before smartphones existed — Lost in the clamor over Apple Inc.’s preliminary patent victory over rival phone-maker HTC Corp. are that the two patents in question are so old they predate smartphones. — A judge at the U.S. International …
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
USPTO invalidates an entire Oracle Java patent-in-suit on a preliminary basis — At Google’s request, the USPTO is reexamining all seven Java-related patents asserted against Android’s Dalvik virtual machine. On Monday I reported on first Office actions that had been issued with respect to four of the seven patents.
Christopher Mims / Technology Review:
Microsoft Patents 3-D Desktop to Compete With Apple — In a TR exclusive, a patent reveals one possible way Microsoft’s future OSes will add depth to their interface. — If you thought Apple’s purported 3D interface was intriguing, wait until you see Microsoft’s.
Matt Asay / GigaOM:
Novell’s Patents Are Complicating Its Sale — After months on the auction block, Novell will be put out of its misery and sold within the next three weeks, according to credible sources. The only question is, why it has taken so long? The answer, according to a source close to the company, is patents.