A man in Florida claims he invented the iPhone in 1992, 15 years before it came out – and wants a mere £7.5 billion in compensation.
Oh, and 1.5% of Apple’s sales – so not that much, then.
Thomas Ross did, it’s true, file a patent for some kind of electronic read-y thing in 1992, described as an ‘electronic reading device’.
He describes Apple’s multi-million-selling iPhones as ‘knock-offs’ and ‘ERD lookalikes’.
His patent application says, ‘The device, constituting the invention, is a computerized, electronic reading device, the purpose of which is to provide an alternative to paper-based print-media such as books, magazines, manuscripts and news media.’
Sounds more like a Kindle to us, but then we aren’t highly paid patent lawyers.
The lawsuit, unearthed by MacRumors, claims Ross has suffered, ‘great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured in money’.-Metro
