Nvidia & Intel Trade Punches
April 1, 2009 by Alex
Filed under Patent Litigation
Can’t we all just get along?
Last February, Intel filed a lawsuit against Nvidia over a cross-licensing agreement that was signed in 2004. The chipmaker claimed that the agreement they had signed with Nividia did not apply to the latest lines of processors which contain onboard memory controllers. Thus, these processors should not qualify under the agreement. However, according to Vnunet.com, Nvidia has fired back.
Nvidia has filed a countersuit against Intel, and is seeking to end Intel’s access to its patent portfolio. In addition, Nvidia also claims that Intel is acting out of spite due to the growing power of the graphics processing units that are manufactured by Nvidia.
“We must defend ourselves and the rights we negotiated when we provided Intel with access to our valuable patents. Intel’s actions are intended to block us from making use of the very licence rights that they agreed to provide,” said Nvidia president and chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang.
Apple Patents ‘Safe’ GPS System
April 1, 2009 by Alex
Filed under New Patents
Apple recently filed a patent that would use biometrics for extra security on the iPhone. Yet, a more recent patent application reveals that Apple may be applying those same concepts to make the roads a bit safer.
As reported on AppleInsider, the 11-page application notes that the use of navigation systems in a moving vehicle has raised many safety concerns. The patent focuses on decreasing these concerns, by calling on a touchscreen-based navigation system that would either be self-mounted or hardwired into an automobile. This system would rely on speakers and microphones for voice-enabled operation, such as navigation.
The patent also reveals that it could deny access for individuals and “lock down” the system based on biometric sensors. One potential application of this technology would be allowing parents to block their high schoolers from using the GPS systems while the car is motion.
Because the patent is so general, it’s not known whether Apple is trying to break into the GPS-navigation market, or if these concepts will be applied to an iPhone App. Yet, these ideas should not be ignored because they could potentially make the road safer by decreasing the distractions.
