Ghost of a flea: Prior art

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September 13, 2011

Prior art

Apple's intellectual property battle against Sumsung has moved to Japan. If the Japanese suit stays true to form, Apple will claim Samsung's Galaxy tablets copied the iPad.

Samsung's argument: Stanley Kubrick invented tablet computers, not Apple.

Samsung will now tell the courts that because a similar tablet actually appeared in Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey (see below) it makes Apple's patent null and void.

Samsung says Kubrick's future-thinking movie opens up the 'prior art' defense, which can be used to invalidate patents if the idea can be proved to have existed before the patent was issued.

Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 Newspad has finally arrived, nine years late.

In fairness to Samsung, Apple really should have seen this coming. Apple ~~cultists~~ enthusiasts had another comparison in mind before the iPad was even launched, Star Trek: The Next Generation's PADDs, or Personal Access Display Devices.

Ars Technica considers the technology, and its development, in detail.

To understand the thinking that led to the design of the Star Trek PADD, we spoke to some of the people involved in production of ST:TNG (as well as other Star Trek TV series and films), including Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Doug Drexler. All three were involved in various aspects of production art for Star Trek properties, including graphic design, set design, prop design, visual effects, art direction, and more. We also discussed their impressions of the iPad and how eerily similar it is to their vision of 24th century technology, how science fiction often influences technology, and what they believe is the future of human-machine interaction.

The comparison cannot have escaped Apple entirely, Steve Jobs used Star Trek as a backdrop to his iPad launch.

No word on whether Michael Okuda plans to take Apple to court for infringement on Starfleet's LCARS operating system.

The cookie crumbles: Only half of potential tablet buyers say they will purchase an iPad next year.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at September 13, 2011 06:48 AM