Typhoon Touch Technologies sues everyone for infringing touch computing patents

We first heard of Typhoon Touch Technologies back in December when the company sued Dell and Motion Computing for infringing two of its patents on touchscreen computers, and armed with favorable settlements from Motion Computing and Electrovaya, Typhoon's gone ahead and joined a host of other companies to the Dell suit. Roll call: would Apple, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Lenovo, Panasonic, HTC, Palm, Samsung, Nokia, and LG all report to Eastern District of Texas, please? Lunch will not be provided.

[Via iTWire]

[MastrCake @ Jun 24th 2008 1:20AM]

Erm... Odds of Typhoon Touch winning? 12:1.

12 Typhoons against 1 "Typhoon". Hah!

[Zaidyn @ Jun 24th 2008 1:53AM]

Did you mean "Tycoons"?

[MastrCake @ Jun 24th 2008 3:28AM]

Oh, dammit. Got it messed up. CURSE ENGADGET FOR NOT PUTTING AN EDIT FUNCTION IN THEIR BROKEN COMMENT SYSTEM!!!

[Bobs @ Jun 24th 2008 4:25AM]

im not sure, but i think part of the problem might lie with weblogs inc

[OneLove @ Jun 24th 2008 1:03PM]

i touch my screen all the time, am i going to get sued?

[Richardh @ Jun 24th 2008 1:21AM]

Can I see Typhoon Touch for my time wasted reading this article?

[A.C.E.R. @ Jun 24th 2008 1:21AM]

Dammit, why didn't I study law?

[phanbouy @ Jun 24th 2008 1:51AM]

because you value things that have basis in culture and _natural_ law?

[Linkman2004 @ Jun 24th 2008 1:22AM]

I'm surprised Nintendo isn't included in the list.

[MastrCake @ Jun 24th 2008 1:39AM]

I just hope Typhoon Touch isn't reading your post. With the current 12 being sued, 13 would just bury TT in lawyer fees! Who knows, they may even go bankrupt!

[Grant @ Jun 24th 2008 1:39AM]

Cha-Ching!!!!*






*If they somehow win.

[Samurai Jack @ Jun 24th 2008 1:51AM]

Two words: prior art. I used luggable touchscreen computers from both HP and DEC in the late '80's. I hope these patent trolls are publicly defenestrated. On live television. Repeated every hour on the hour for days on end.

[phanbouy @ Jun 24th 2008 2:01AM]

did you just say "defenestrated"? i guess the gods of cosmic karma had to balance out the 83 trolling posts by fuzio fusion today on the opposite spectrum

[jeti @ Jun 24th 2008 2:36AM]

The patent is not on touchscreen technology. It is on using touchscreens with a portable computer. At least the title seems to imply this: "Portable Computer with Touch Screen and Computer System Employing Same" (U.S. Patent No. 5,379,057, U.S. Patent No. 5,675,362)

[Reader @ Jun 24th 2008 7:09AM]

Guess more people have the word of the day feed than I previously thought.

[Bogosity Reigns @ Jun 24th 2008 8:00AM]

I used touchscreens on a character-oriented ("Datamedia"?) Dec VT100-clone back in the early 1980s. This is a patent that should crash and burn.

[Motoken @ Jun 24th 2008 12:28PM]

its publicly going to be kinked out the window, for those who don't know what defenestrated means. lol i love that word.

[keithwwalker @ Jun 24th 2008 2:18AM]

Palm is included as well, so they are digging pretty deep. They just may be bringing a knife to a gun fight though...

[slarity @ Jun 24th 2008 8:42AM]

Hopefully one of the defending companies brings a grenade...

[waffles @ Jun 24th 2008 10:35AM]

or a trident....

[engadgetier @ Jun 24th 2008 3:32PM]

maybe apple will bring a macbook air and cut them up.......and maybe some of that cake, for their victory of course...

[Ryan @ Jun 24th 2008 5:14AM]

On the face of it, this lawsuit seems pretty silly. There seems to be a decent amount of prior art for what Typhoon Touch calls "portable, self-contained, general-purpose, keyboard-less, computing devices, which utilize a touch-screen display for data entry purposes."

In addition to the older luggables, Apple's Newton arguably fits the bill and it was "eating up Martha" since August 1993. The first patent that Typhoon holds only goes back to Jan. 1995.

[CosterMonger @ Jun 24th 2008 9:36AM]

keyboard-less?
hmmm...
just add keyboard!

[Blanka @ Jun 24th 2008 7:39AM]

Just buy a part of Typhoon all of you 12 sued companies, go to the shareholders meeting and kill the company. Cheap, fast and dirty.

[neofolklore @ Jun 24th 2008 7:50AM]

lol, i should jump on that

[MadMike @ Jun 24th 2008 8:24AM]

I am really sick and tired of patent trolls. Can't we just shoot them? How about if we shoot them in international waters?

Have Apple invite them on the iYacht for a business cruise, hit international waters and put two .22 rounds to the back of their heads.

Remember, Dead people can't sue.

[MadMike @ Jun 24th 2008 8:24AM]

I am really sick and tired of patent trolls. Can't we just shoot them? How about if we shoot them in international waters?

Have Apple invite them on the iYacht for a business cruise, hit international waters and put two .22 rounds to the back of their heads.

Remember, Dead people can't sue.

[MadMike @ Jun 24th 2008 8:24AM]

I am really sick and tired of patent trolls. Can't we just shoot them? How about if we shoot them in international waters?

Have Apple invite them on the iYacht for a business cruise, hit international waters and put two .22 rounds to the back of their heads.

Remember, Dead people can't sue.

[MadMike @ Jun 24th 2008 8:24AM]

wow, what a broken fucking comment system.

[Jisoon @ Jun 24th 2008 9:42AM]

Don't be mad, mike.

[Jisoon @ Jun 24th 2008 10:17AM]

Don't be mad, mike.

[JohnnyGTO @ Jun 25th 2008 12:54PM]

Man I hate to get all biblical and everything but when "lawyers" and "woe unto", as in your gonna get your ass kicked by God, are specifically mentioned in the bible I would think twice about the profession. Here's hoping!

[Jisoon @ Jun 24th 2008 10:18AM]

Damn it.

[MadMike @ Jun 24th 2008 10:27AM]

Yep, Brrrrrroken!

I e-mailed Blogsmithmedia a few times. Then they took all the "contact me" stuff down. AOL won't do anything either.

[Andrew @ Jun 26th 2008 12:37AM]

I don't see how hard it is to submit a comment once.

[Alareth @ Jun 24th 2008 10:44AM]

This is as funny as British Telecom's attempt to claim ownership of the hyperlink.

[ShadowKain @ Jun 24th 2008 1:41PM]

Typhoon touch can TOUCH .....


...a soldering iron for being a money grobbling asshole of a company

[Nightmare @ Jun 24th 2008 4:55PM]

hear, hear!

It is always some snivelling shit who no one ever heard of, trying to line their pockets. sons-o-bitches. they should know better than to go after apple. and if the suit is about touch computers why palm

[David Van (Cool Prizes Inc.) @ Jun 24th 2008 5:25PM]

LMFAO! THAT LITTLE COMPANY SUING BIG COMPANIES?!?! They are gonna lose the case SOOOO FAST!

[lowIQ @ Jun 24th 2008 5:47PM]

I touch myself; if someone else has a patent on it does it mean I will get sued?
Just because someone thought of a vague idea and had it patented (is that a word?) is no reason to sue!, common sense if we all had it would dictate if you don’t use the idea in a set amount of time then you lose it?, seems fair I think? We live in a society that does illogical things all the time and this is no different.
The fix to this problem is an easy on which relies on logic, but of course because of that will never be fixed, call it “Human Nature” if you wish!
Maybe when evolution has a chance to weed out the lesser of the human species, this will all be no longer an issue.
Until then this will be one of many that will irritate those who can comprehend the illogical problem.

[lowIQ @ Jun 24th 2008 5:52PM]

I touch myself; if someone else has a patent on it does it mean I will get sued?
Just because someone thought of a vague idea and had it patented (is that a word?) is no reason to sue!, common sense if we all had it would dictate if you don’t use the idea in a set amount of time then you lose it?, seems fair I think? We live in a society that does illogical things all the time and this is no different.
The fix to this problem is an easy on which relies on logic, but of course because of that will never be fixed, call it “Human Nature” if you wish!
Maybe when evolution has a chance to weed out the lesser of the human species, this will all be no longer an issue.
Until then this will be one of many that will irritate those who can comprehend the illogical problem.

[Marcus @ Jun 25th 2008 6:13PM]

Game.com! Tiger Electronics. This device was created and marketed around the same time of their patents. Touch screen input, had several applications including a phonebook. Maybe Tiger should look into their patents and sue Typhoon for trying to benefit from Tigers patents.