Every time my mom gets drunk she claims that she had the idea to invent Facebook before Mark Zuckerberg. She has no knowledge or experience in coding or social aggregation, she just wanted an easier way to keep in touch with her friend Karen. And she’s genuinely upset she isn’t a billionaire because of it.
Turns out, a Florida resident named Thomas S. Ross wants a bite of the Apple, as he filed a lawsuit against them this week that claims the iPhone, iPad, and iPod infringe upon his 1992 invention of a hand-drawn “Electronic Reading Device” (ERD), according to MacRumors.
This is Ross’ sketch 24 years ago.
What Ross contemplated, was a device that could allow one to read stories, novels, news articles, as well as look at pictures, watch video presentations, or even movies, on a flat touch-screen that was back-lit. He further imagined that it could include communication functions, such as a phone and a modem, input/output capability, so as to allow the user to write notes, and be capable of storing reading and writing material utilizing internal and external storage media. He also imagined that the device would have batteries and even be equipped with solar panels. (via)
Now although the drawing looks similar, not only does Ross fail to bring the idea to life, the application to patent was declared abandoned in April 1995 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after he failed to pay the required application fees.
Ross is seeking over 10 BILLION DOLLARS in restitution for “great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured in money,” and a royalty of up to 1.5% on Apple’s worldwide sales of infringing devices, reports MacRumors.
Good luck, Mr. Ross.
P.S. I had the idea for porn on the internet after I watched my very first porn VHS. PornHub, pony up or I’ll take this straight to the Supreme Court.