Intr-o audiere ce a avut loc zilele trecute intr-un proces dintre Apple si HTC, avocatii companiei din Cupertino au facut cateva afirmatii foarte interesante in legatura cu brevetul de inventie pe care ei sustin ca HTC l-ar fi incalcat. Apple sustine ca Android ar fi luat nastere chiar in cadrul companiei din Cupertino unde Andy Rubin, “parintele” sistemului de operare al celor de la Google, a lucrat in anii ’90. Intre 1989 si 1992 Andy Rubin a lucrat in acelasi departament in care angajatii Apple dezvoltau ceea ce urma sa fie mai tarziu cunoscut si brevetat sub denumirea de realtime API, o tehnologie pe care HTC este acuzata ca a incalcat-o atunci cand a construit terminalele cu sistemul de operare Android.
Android and Mr. Rubin’s relevant background does not start, as HTC would like the Commission to believe, with his work at General Magic or Danger in the mid-1990s. In reality, as the evidence revealed at the hearing, Mr. Rubin began his career at Apple in the early 1990s and worked as a low-level engineer specifically reporting to the inventors of the ‘263 [realtime API] patent at the exact time their invention was being conceived and developed. […] It is thus no wonder that the infringing Android platform used the claimed subsystem approach of the ‘263 patent that allows for flexibility of design and enables the platform to be “highly customizable and expandable” as HTC touts. […] While Mr. Rubin’s inspiration for the Android framework may not be directly relevant to the pending petitions for review, that HTC felt compelled to distort this history is illustrative of the liberties it takes in attacking the ALJ’s [initial determination] and the substantial evidence supporting the ALJ’s findings.
Desi aceste informatii nu au relevevanta in cazul impotriva companiei HTC, Apple sustine ca Andy Rubin s-ar fi inspirat din tehnologia dezvoltata de compania din Cupertino atunci cand a facut sistemul de operare Android pentru Google. Brevetul 6,343,263 despre care vorbim a fost inregistrat de catre Apple in anii ’90, in timp ce Andy Rubin lucra in departamentul in care tehnologia a fost dezvoltata si se pare ca el si-a folosit cunostintele pentru dezvoltarea Android OS. Desi impotriva celor de la HTC aceste informatii nu au vreo relevanta, un proces impotriva companiei Google s-ar putea dovedi a avea consecinte mult mai grave pentru platforma Android.
Pana acum Apple s-a ferit sa dea in judecata compania Google pentru incalcarea vreunui brevet de inventie in Android OS insa acest lucru s-ar putea schimba in viitor deoarece prin Google Apple ar putea bloca vanzarile tuturor producatorilor de terminale cu Android OS. O interdictie de vanzare asupra sistemului de operare ar afecta toti producatorii insa deocamdata Apple are alte planuri preferand sa urmareasca fiecare producator in parte in loc sa mearga la sursa intregii probleme. Pana una alta procesele continua, Apple mai pierde cate un iPhone si Samsung vinde in continuare terminale Android in Europa.
