Apple has been awarded a patent today, which is broad enough to make any company with a touch-screen technology to take notice as it covers all multi-touch interfaces.
The patent was originally applied for in relation to their original iPhone way back in 2007 - the patents gives Apple ownership of the multi-touch graphical user interface which was pioneered for the iPhone and then was copied by every tom, dick and harry over the last 3 years.
Apparently, those who are familiar with patent law have said that it's all-encompassing enough to include any device which changes the content of a page with one finger or two.
This as you can imagine is a big blow for rival manfacturers like Samsung, HTC and the like who have been using this tech in phones, Mp3 player and tablets which compete with Apple's family of iDevices.
It is also thought that the myriad of other tablets that are itching to take on the iPad are in the firing line too.
If Apple tries to protect its intellectual property, which it has a track record of, it could mean that companies found to have copied it will have to pay the Cupertino company a costly license fee for every handset made.
“This patent covers a kind of functionality without which it will be hard to build a competitive smartphone,” Florian Mueller, from FOSS Patents told PC Mag. “Unless this patent becomes invalidated, it would allow Apple to stifle innovation and bully competitors.”
Such patents have, in the past, been scrapped because they are too generic to be enforced in any meaningful way, but you can bet Apple will give it a punt.
But it’s not all rain clouds and thunderbolts for Apple’s competitors - they could be safe unless they’ve copied the interface in its entirety, every finger gesture and all.
Mueller explains, “The way to read a patent claim is that it’s only infringed if the accused technology is implemented in its entirety--all of the characteristics must be matched.”
What Apple will do with this US patent is unclear, but we bet they are eyeing a licensing deal as we speak.