Apple, Microsoft, Google sued over preview icons

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A Michigan-based networking company on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Google, Microsoft and Apple, alleging that all three technology giants violated a patent it owns on the use of document-preview icons — or thumbnails — in operating systems.

In the suit, Cygnus Systems targets Google's Chrome; Microsoft's Vista and Internet Explorer 8; and Apple's iPhone, Safari and Mac OS X as patent infringers. Apple uses the patent-protected technology in its Finder and Cover Flow Mac OS X features, the lawsuit claims.

Cygnus describes the technology covered by the patent as "methods and systems for accessing one or more computer files via a graphical icon, wherein the graphical icon includes an image of a selected portion or portions of one or more computer files".

Emails seeking comment from Google, Microsoft, Apple and Cygnus's attorney were not immediately returned.

The case was filed in the US District Court of Arizona, where company owner Gregory Swartz lives, according to PC World.

Cygnus was granted the patent in March 2008, according to the lawsuit, although the company first applied for it in 2001 as a continuation to a 1998 application, according to Ars Technica.

Cygnus is seeking damages and a permanent injunction to prevent further alleged infringement. Cygnus has also indicated that it may pursue other companies as defendants.

Talkback

It seems like drawing a square on a piece of paper is now copyrighted by somebody and I can get sued.

The whole idea of copyright to not to deprive a creator of rightful financial gain in the sale of their products. However, it now seems to mean greed and can I get the big boys to pay me for some common idea.

This is like me saying that the idea of an open or closed metal container which can be used to heat food is mine and I can sue anyone who make an item that even vaguely looks and acts like my idea.

The world has changed and the copyright laws need to change as well to allow for innovation and still provide for the right of an inventor.

1000250387 29 December, 2008 13:42
Reply

Greed will stifle innovation!

How an earth can such a vague coverall patent be used to attack actual useful products, independently developed with actual specific uses in mind. In any case , thumbnail views have been in use for quite some time - nothing particularly original there, obvious I would have thought.

Seems to me that copyright is more relevant than patents for software anyway and then plagiarism, i.e. theft could be properly addressed.

Expect to see even more of these cases now that the general public's purchasing power has been reduced and new revenue streams are sought.

Moley 29 December, 2008 15:16
Reply

with money being tight, I would expect over the coming months if not years copyright issues, will be come a common thing, as more people and, companies claim they own the rights to a thing.

anything for a quick buck!

349671 30 December, 2008 09:15
Reply

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