Patent Law

Stanley Kubrick Thought of iPad Design First, Samsung Says in Patent Spat with Apple

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Stanley Kubrick and his filmmakers thought of the basic design for the iPad long before Apple came out with the device, Samsung asserts in defense of a patent infringement suit targeting its Android products.

Samsung made the claim in a document filed with the San Jose, Calif., federal court on Monday, report the Wall Street Journal’s Korea Real Time blog and the blog FOSS Patents. Samsung argues Apple’s iPad design patent is invalid because a similar device had been envisioned in science fiction, including the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“In a clip from that film lasting about one minute, two astronauts are eating and at the same time using personal tablet computers,” the Samsung document says. It also includes a link to a film clip on YouTube.

According to FOSS Patents, “It would be amazing if the court agreed with Samsung that this constitutes prior art.”

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ABAJournal.com: “Steve Jobs Has His Name on 313 Apple Patents, Outpacing Other High-Tech Leaders”

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