After a fleeting moment in which it was Alphabet, Apple was once again the most valuable company in the world. This can only be achieved if a company makes steady progress, even if it means working to the limit of legality. I say this because, although I cannot say that I approve of it, the company that Tim Cook runs can (and I think it must) sometimes play dirty, as they did with the mouse or using technologies that were patented. Crab is an important feature of iOS but, according to a court opinion, Apple infringed several patents In its development.
As reported by Marathon Patent Group, which controls Dynamic Advances, the company will receive 5 million dollars immediately after dropping the case against Apple, a case that is currently in the District Court for the Northern District of New York. On the other hand, the Cupertino company will have to pay another 19.9 million after other conditions are met. For its part, Apple will receive a patent license, which would allow it to continue using Siri as if nothing had happened.
Apple will be able to continue using Siri
Dynamic Advances suggested that about half of its gross proceeds will likely go to the Renssealer Polytechnic Institute in New York State. The patent "Use of natural language interface using intermediate dictionary of results" was originally developed by an RPI professor, but it was licensed exclusively to Dynamic Advances.
La lawsuit took place in October 2012, just a year after the presentation of Siri, the virtual assistant that came to iOS with the iPhone 4S. The Dynamic Advanced settlement also assures Apple that they won't be able to take him to court again for at least three years. What will happen after those three years? Well, there are only three possibilities: nothing, something unlikely because all companies want to make a profit, that Apple has to pay again to be able to continue using the patents or that they change Siri enough so that it does not make use of them. To know what will happen we will have to wait about 36 months.
