It seems that, in addition to launching software and hardware, of Cupertino also engage in walks by the courts. And it is that, when you have not even left a trial, have already returned to receive a new request. The latest comes from Florida, where a resident of the State called Thomas S. Ross sued Apple on Monday 27th of June at the Court in the Southern District because, according to him, the Apple company violated your drawing of a “device reading electronic” (ERD for its acronym in English) on devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod.
Ross designed three different ERD units, and did so in technical drawings made between May 23, 1992 and September 10 of the same year, i.e., 15 years before the launch of the original iPhone. One of these drawings shows a rectangular device with rounded edges, about what Ross says that “includes a fusion of design and functionality in a way that did not exist before 1992“.
Had they imagined the iPhone in 1992?
Although it is always fair to a company pay if it has violated any patents, it seems that this will not be one of those cases. In 1992, Ross gave a patent to the Patent Office of the United States, Yes, but its patent was declared abandoned in April 2015 because the inventor never paid for it, that is to say, the patent was never completed.
Thomas S. Ross wants that Apple paid “not less than 10,000 million dollars” and also wants a 1.5% of all sales of devices that he believes that you have violated its design. According to the applicant, it is undergoing “a great and irreparable damage that cannot be compensated or weigh with money“. Taking into account that you never paid for the patent, I will only say that I wish you luck.
