We’re Not Stealing “Where To?” - Apple
8/12/2010 07:56:00 PM - 0 comments
Apple has issued a clarification to its controversial use of a “Where To?” screenshot for its patent application. Apple stated that it is not stealing FutureTap’s app design.Apple Senior Patent Counsel Anand Sethuraman reportedly sent an email to FutureTap containing the following explanation:
“As discussed, Apple is contemplating steps to attribute the screenshot in the patent application to FutureTap. The patent application in question does not claim as inventive the pictured user interface nor the general concept of an integrated travel services application. We appreciate your taking time out to discuss the matter and will keep you updated.”
As it turned out, Apple was just using diagrams of existing third-party apps as an example of the idea they were trying to patent. It needed an example app and decided to use “Where To?”
In its response, FutureTap has this to say:
"So the use of the Where To? screenshot is not an offense in any way but merely an illustration that apps such as Where To? could make use of the invention. We feel honored over this mention and appreciate that Apple is looking into a proper attribution of the screenshot. In retrospective, I can say we wouldn‘t ever have considered the story alarming had the screenshot included a short attribution notice."
Case closed.
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