Posted without comment

[Cmaier]

Biden administration says Apple and Broadcom should quit stalling and pay Caltech damages

Following Apple and Broadcom's $1.1 billion combined loss in court, the US Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court to block the pair's attempt to invalidate Caltech's patents at the core of the suit.

appleinsider.com

And, from 2016:

 

[Colstan]

I've often kept the lawyer jokes in check, because I assumed that you're one of the good ones, not representing patent trolls. While I hardly have a laundry list of cases that you were involved in, and likely wouldn't understand the vast majority anyway, you were definitely on the right side with this one.

"Duane-David Hough" - This guy is suspicious. Never trust a man with three names. Only serial killers and assassins have three names.

 

[Cmaier]

I've often kept the lawyer jokes in check, because I assumed that you're one of the good ones, not representing patent trolls. While I hardly have a laundry list of cases that you were involved in, and likely wouldn't understand the vast majority anyway, you were definitely on the right side with this one.

"Duane-David Hough" - This guy is suspicious. Never trust a man with three names. Only serial killers and assassins have three names.

Luckily my firm had nothing to do with the outcome in this case - we were replaced years ago when Avago and Broadcom merged. My streak of never losing a billion dollar case thus continues.

Duane-David is a great guy - very early in this career he gave me a big break. Retired now.

 

[casperes1996]

I've only heard about this case on-off and never really looked into what it's about. I read the AppleInsider article and didn't feel that much more enlightened.

The original case centered on Wi-Fi codes that simplify data encoding and decoding, thereby improving the performance of data transmission. During the course of its subsequent appeals — but not the original trial — Apple argued that there was "prior art" that rended the patents invalid.

What do they mean by"codes"? Do they mean "code"? As in is this about code copyright? That wouldn't really be a patent thing then. Is it about encoding schemes?

Before I know more I won't say anything about who may or may not be in the right. I have bias on both sides I feel. On the one hand I feel instinctually like an academic institution is probably more likely to be in the right than trillion dollar businesses. On the other hand I have positive bias in favour of Apple, Cliff and as a consumer want fewer patents hindering the quality of chips in future Apple devices. I also find the idea of an academic institute holding patents strange. In my belief they should do their research for the benefit of society and if they develop something it should immediately go into the public domain with the government financially supporting those efforts

In any case, that's more broad-stroked and I'm not presently equipped to say much concretely about the case

 

[Cmaier]

I've only heard about this case on-off and never really looked into what it's about. I read the AppleInsider article and didn't feel that much more enlightened.


What do they mean by"codes"? Do they mean "code"? As in is this about code copyright? That wouldn't really be a patent thing then. Is it about encoding schemes?

Turbo codes/viterbi. That sort of thing.

 

[dada_dave]

My streak of never losing a billion dollar case thus continues.

I too have have never lost a billion dollar case! Not saying what would happen if I was ever involved in one but I cannot imagine what those circumstances would be …

 

[Colstan]

On the one hand I feel instinctually like an academic institution is probably more likely to be in the right than trillion dollar businesses.

Colleges here in the States are not our friends. My local university trains a number of Chinese nationals in computer science, they go back home, and then use those skills to hack our businesses, infrastructure, and defense industries. The excuse is that by exposing them to American culture, they will take that back home with them, and improve relations. Instead, they keep to themselves, and only socialize with other Chinese students.

On the other hand I have positive bias in favour of Apple, Cliff and as a consumer want fewer patents hindering the quality of chips in future Apple devices.

At least we know the score with businesses, which can be judged by shareholders, financial releases, and trade laws. You'd assume better from higher education.

I also find the idea of an academic institute holding patents strange.

The EFF compiled a list of 15 universities that formed a "licensing program".

15 Universities Have Formed A Company That Looks A Lot Like A Patent Troll

Imagine this: a limited liability company (LLC) is formed, for the sole purpose of acquiring patents, including what are likely to be low-quality patents of suspect validity. Patents in hand, the LLC starts approaching high-tech companies and demanding licensing fees. If they don’t get paid, the...

www.eff.org

There are some choice names in that list. This is just an example. This first hit the general public consciousness when the University of Wisconsin-Madison sued Apple for patents in the iPhone.

The EFF concluded:

The people who will benefit the most from this aren’t the public or even the universities, but the lawyers. For the public interest and innovation, having the nation’s best universities supply a patent-trolling operation is a disaster in the making.

 

[casperes1996]

Colleges here in the States are not our friends. My local university trains a number of Chinese nationals in computer science, they go back home, and then use those skills to hack our businesses, infrastructure, and defense industries. The excuse is that by exposing them to American culture, they will take that back home with them, and improve relations. Instead, they keep to themselves, and only socialize with other Chinese students.

Given we're talking about the US I assume the Chinese students you're referring to pay for their education the same way anyone else would. In which case I don't necessarily see the issue. I've personally worked with 2 Chinese students during my studies; Both talented computer scientists who intend to stay in Europe, one presently taking a Ph.D and the other is considering it. There are many other Chinese students at my university as well and I hear no complaints. Diversity just helps. That said, there has been a scandal where some of the Chinese students were forced to sign a deal with the Chinese government before leaving to study in another country that would effectively force them to come back to China after they got their degree and work for so and so many years. Failing to come back home they would punish your family financially. After that was discovered my university established rules that would reject students forced into such an agreement with the Chinese state, there was a lot of debate at the embassies and diplomats basically told the Chinese state that either they got zero students admitted to universities here, and thus no returning work force or they shredded those contracts making it entirely voluntary to return after the degree with no consequences for relatives. I've not heard anything since then to indicate China still having such contracts in place - they could be doing it still secretly, but nothing indicates it.

The EFF compiled a list of 15 universities that formed a "licensing program".

That's rather concerning.
Ultimately I believe universities should serve the greater public good. The professor I am writing my master's thesis under advices the use of the CRAPL license for open sourcing academic code

The CRAPL: An academic-strength open source license

 

[Colstan]

In which case I don't necessarily see the issue.

I would answer your inquiry, but then I would be straying into political opinion, which are forbidden outside of the hidden politics section of this forum. I would be a hypocrite if I were to elaborate, therefore I shall not.

That's rather concerning.

Indeed.

 

[casperes1996]

I would answer your inquiry, but then I would be straying into political opinion, which are forbidden outside of the hidden politics section of this forum. I would be a hypocrite if I were to elaborate, therefore I shall not.

My apologies if my own comments were too politically charged to begin with. Feel free to purge it if it was - I mistakenly thought we were in that forum actually, not really sure how I got to that confusion

 

[Colstan]

My apologies if my own comments were too politically charged to begin with. Feel free to purge it if it was - I mistakenly thought we were in that forum actually, not really sure how I got to that confusion

You weren't being too political, so don't feel any concern over it. Sometimes, I accidentally stumble into politics-adjacent subjects, which wasn't my intention. As a moderator, I hold myself to a higher standard, and will say so publicly. I apologize for wandering into that territory. The poster here I am always strictest with is myself, and always strive to hold to the standard of trust that @Cmaier and @Eric have given me.