Anyone follow the Apple patent suit against Samsung? Thank god this nebulous form of intelectual property rights business is only a recent development or it would be illegal to "copy" the concept of a wheel, or a faucet knob! Imagine if concepts like hinges or windows were the personal property of some rights holder?

I was floored when I read that the allegation was that Samsung produced a mobile device with rounded corners and a touch screen and that was an infringement - and found as such by a jury. Perhaps I'm naive but I always thought patents were for specific things and devices and *not* for design or appearance. I know an architectual design can't be patented, why should the look of an iPhone be?

All the more reason to remain skeptical about the central claims of the intellectual property movement where more than specific devices or mechanisms are involved. Like the doctor who patents a surgical maneover, the corporation that sues over any likeness to a product, or an agri-business that patents a genetically modified lifeform - bizzar distortions of our post-modern world.

Using this ruling, who was the first to design the desktop pc?  Or how about cars?  Don't they all have four wheels?  Whose idea was that anyway?

I own one of the Samsung phones.  I bought myself the Galaxy S3 at the same time as my two boys picked up an iPhone4.  Okay, the young 'uns all want the same phone and iTunes.  But I have to tell you, I love my phone design much better than theirs.  They however, wanted a phone that would fit in their pocket which the Galaxy won't.  It does fit neatly into my handbag though.

I so hope this ruling gets overturned.  I can't see such a decision being good for innovation and inventions in the future.

That's why hate Apple, they oppose a truly free market, patents like those shouldn't have existed in the first place.

And like during the 80's this behaviour will lead to their downfall again. if you don't give devs the freedom they need, they'll abandon you sooner or later.