HDD Giants Sued Over Patent Violations
Rembrandt IP Management have subjected both Seagate and Western Digital to federal lawsuist, alleging that both manufacturers have infringed on a couple of patents Rembrandt previously purchased from an inventor.
Uri Cohen filed back in 1997 patents that “cover low-noise toroidal thin film read/write heads”. After discovering that WD and Seagate apparently used his invention without compensating him, and realizing that he did not have the money to seek legal redress, Cohen decided to sell some interest in his patents to Rembrandt.
The patent lawsuit covers a wide variety of hard drive models, including Seagate’s Free Agent and Barracuda series, as well asWestern Digital’s My Passport and Caviar lines. How far will Rembrandt’s legal action go? A victory by the patent aggregator could force Seagate and Western Digital to pony up licensing fees—and perhaps encourage the development of more affordable and reliable SSDs?
Rembrandt markets itself as a company that helps independent inventors "commercialize their intellectual property in a way that would never have been possible if they acted alone." Yet you can bet this development will provide more ammunition for critics of the American patent system.
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What do you think? People patent anyhting these days and just wait it out until someone actually tryes to use them to MAKE stuff then they just sue for profit.
I don't see how that enriches the human race and provides the so much used phrase "Encourage progress", theres so many companies that just sit on the patents waiting for someone to infrige so they can make money.
You seriously think this is normal? This is a healthy way to innovate and push progress? By running dry any breaktrough in innovation with lawsuits and taking any incentive out of any company that wants to MAKE anything. Also blocking combinations of inventions due to patent locks.
But who am i kidding, some would sell they're wife for 100 buck's.
x3style - couldnt have put it better myself!
x3style - I'll need to see pictures of your wife first before I can commit