Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Cars weren't always steered with steering wheels. Many features of modern cars were patented, and only used by others under licence. Until the patents expired.
Patents also ensure that multiple solutions are tried, and when the patents expire the best are universally adopted.
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Exactly. Tillers and joysticks have been tried.
Even as recently as the 50's yokes were tried.
Modern steering wheels are a result of decades of incremental refinements.
Plus, it costs money to develop good solutions so patents give a *temporary* monopoly to the inventor to benefit from their development before it enters the public domain and the common heritage of humanity.
One thing being ignored in all the handwringing over the verdict is that the smartphone industry isn't just Apple and Samsung.
There are other players in the business who played by the rules and didn't copy Apple designs. So Samsung's shortcuts not only saved Samsung from having to develop their own legal solutions, it allowed them to undercut companies like HP, Nokia, and RIM that spent good money trying to do the right thing and compete fairly.
Maybe the folks that think that even at $1billion Samsung is coming out ahead are right...?