Apple Legal Team Responds to Lodsys: App Makers Are Protected

Apple has finally responded to Lodsys, the patent troll that went after developers with legal threats over in-app purchases.

Here is the a snippet of the letter sent by Bruce Sewell (former head of Intel’s legal team), Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel to Lodsys as posted by Macworld:

Dear Mr. Small:

I write to you on behalf of Apple Inc. (“Apple”) regarding your recent notice letters to application developers (“App Makers”) alleging infringement of certain patents through the App Makers’ use of Apple products and services for the marketing, sale, and delivery of applications (or “Apps”). Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patent and the Apple App Makers are protected by that license. There is no basis for Lodsys’ infringement allegations against Apple’s App Makers. Apple intends to share this letter and the information set out herein with its App Makers and is fully prepared to defend Apple’s license rights.

Apple has licensed these Lodsys patents and that means developers are protected as well. I don’t see Lodsys going anywhere with this, as going up against Apple in court is a insurmountable task they wouldn’t want to consider. Apple’s legal team is known to be iron clad and swift when it comes to legal disputes.

Boom. The gauntlet has been dropped.

[The Loop, Macworld]