Recently, Cygnus Systems, a small Indiana company has filed a patent-infringement case against Microsoft, Apple, and Google involving the use of a web browser technology that display an image preview of files before users opened them. The lawsuit filed in a federal court Arizona where Cygnus Systems President Gregory Swartz reside is hoping to get a court injuction against the three companies for using their patented technology.
The products which allegedly utilize Cygnus patented technology for previwing images of documents on the computer are Windows Vista, IE 8 and Google Chrome. It also includes Apple’s use of this technology in its Finder and Cover Flow Mac OS X interface.
A partner of Cygnus Systems Legal Representative, Matt McAndrews also said that the lawsuit against the three giant companies are just a starting point for their other investigation on similar companies infringing on their copyrighted products and services.
”We’ve identified many other potentially infringing products that we’re investigating,” McAndrews said.
And Cygnus demands? Nothing faboluous reallly, but just a “reasonable royalty” coming from the three giant companies for using their patented technology.
Cygnus has filed for a patent recognition of the said image previewing technology in 2001 and was granted patent rights for the technology by the the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in March 2008.
The companies in question has not yet issued any official statement regarding the case.
If you were to lay all the lawyers end-to-end on the equator… the world would be a better place.
And we’re shocked by massive fraud as alleged against Bernie Madoff. Hmm. A huge company stealing a small company’s technology is nothing more than bullying, a practice which seems to have become standard practice in corporate business. It’s easy for unethical executives to hide behind the corporate veil, which protects them from personal responsibility for their cynical business decisions. Unfortunately, the only way to fight back is through the courts. The people that do the fighting on our behalf are lawyers. Sure, many lawyers deserve the less than honored reputation they have, but, in this case, it appears Cygnus is warranted in filing suit and sending their lawyers after the corporate bullies.
Patent infringement – what is it and how to prevent it?
Will help
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