David, what is the source of this article? For whom does Leo Kelion write?
Craig On 2/23/13, David Chittenden <dchitten...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Subject: VoiceOver threatened by Samsung >> Reply-To: Blind Democracy Discussion List <blind-democr...@octothorp.org> >> >> Even if Samsung does not succeed in their action, the very fact they've >> even tried it guarantees I will never buy a Samsung product. >> And to think Samsung was instrumental in establishing the guide dog school >> in Korea. >> Unconscionable. >> Alice >> Samsun g struggles to block iPhone function for the blindBy Leo Kelion >> >> Technology reporter >> >> The VoiceOver function is designed to help >> blind and partially sighted consumers use the >> iPhone Samsung has suffered a setback in its >> effort to win an iPhone ban based on a function >> making its software accessible to blind people. >> >> The South Korean firm had sought an injunction in >> a German court arguing Apple's VoiceOver >> screen-access facility infringed one of its patents. >> >> However, the judge has ordered the case to be >> suspended pending another ruling that could invalidate Samsung's claim. >> >> Disability campaigners had expressed concern about the case. >> >> Apple's VoiceOver function is used by blind and >> partially-sighted people to hear a description of >> what the iPhone is showing by touching its screen. >> >> The software covers text and icons including >> audio descriptions of the battery level and >> network signal. It also allows the phones to be >> operated via Braille-based add-ons. >> >> Samsung had argued that Apple had failed to >> licence a patent it owned which describes >> pressing a button to make a handset describe its >> display. The basis for this was that VoiceOver >> could be switched on by triple-clicking the iPhone's home button. >> >> Apple declined to comment. >> >> A statement from Samsung said: "For decades, we >> have heavily invested in pioneering the >> development of technological innovations in the >> mobile industry, which have been constantly reflected in our products. >> >> "We continue to believe that Apple has infringed >> our patented mobile technologies, and we will >> continue to take the measures necessary to >> protect our intellectual property rights." >> >> 'Regrettable in the extreme' >> >> Patent consultant Florian Muller, who was first >> to report the Mannheim Court's decision, questioned Samsung's tactics. >> >> "If Samsung had only requested monetary >> compensation in this action, it would have made a >> much better choice than by trying to achieve, >> through the pursuit of an injunction, the >> deactivation or (more realistically) degradation >> of the voiceover functionality Apple provides to >> its German customers," he wrote on his blog. >> >> The British Computer Association of the Blind >> said it was worried such an important feature might be threatened. >> >> "A lack of access to information is arguably the >> biggest potential barrier to inclusion in society >> for blind and partially-sighted people," a spokesman told the BBC. >> >> "If something as important as access to telephone >> technology had been blocked by the actions of one >> company over another the consequences for blind >> people everywhere would be regrettable in the extreme." >> >> The Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD tech site was more damning. >> >> "Leaving aside the ethics of asserting a patent >> against a feature designed to help the blind, >> this is unwise," wrote John Paczkowski. >> >> "It's the PR equivalent of punching yourself in >> the face. Samsung has now identified itself as a >> company willing to accept the loss of >> accessibility for the vision-impaired as >> collateral damage in its battle with Apple." >> >> Apple and Samsung have fought a number of patent >> cases against each other in courts across the world. >> >> The biggest award involved a US jury ordering >> Samsung to pay Apple $1.05bn (£688m) in damages. >> The judge in the case later rejected Apple's call >> for the sum to be increased and a sales ban on some Samsung handsets. >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-Democracy mailing list >> blind-democr...@octothorp.org >> http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > To search the VIPhone public archive, visit > http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. > To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. 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