When Apple (Or Amazon or another big one) calls, ‘it’s the kiss of death’

2023-04-24 18:35:10

I have heard, read and seen stories on TV similar to the ones in this article. In many cases they have accused Amazon to copy the products of its own “partners” and when they are very successful, they present a similar product, at a lower price… ruining the first one…

Would-be partners accuse Apple of copying their ideas. It seemed like a dream partnership when Apple contacted Joe Kiani, the founder of a company that makes blood-oxygen measurement devices. He thought his technology was a perfect fit for the Apple Watch. Shortly after meeting him, Apple began hiring employees from his company, Masimo, including engineers and his chief medical officer. Apple offered to double their salaries, Kiani said. In 2019, Apple published patents under the name of a former Masimo engineer for sensors similar to Masimo’s, the documents show. The following year, Apple released a watch that could measure oxygen levels in the blood. “When Apple takes an interest in a company, it’s the kiss of death,” Kiani said. “First, you get excited. Then you realize the long-term plan is to do it themselves and take it all.” Mister. Kiani is one of more than two dozen executives, inventors, investors and lawyers who have described similar encounters with Apple. First, they said, came discussions about possible partnerships or integrating their technology into Apple products. Then, they said, the talks stopped and Apple rolled out its own similar features.
Apple said it doesn’t steal technology and that it respects the intellectual property of other companies. He said that Masimo and other companies cited in this article are copying Apple and that he will fight the claims in court. Apple has tried to invalidate hundreds of patents owned by companies that have accused Apple of violating their patents. According to lawyers and executives at some smaller companies, Apple sometimes files multiple petitions on a single patent claim and tries to invalidate patents that aren’t related to the initial dispute. Many large companies, particularly in technology, have been known to source employees and technology from smaller potential rivals. Software developers have given a name to what they describe as Apple’s behavior in such cases: sherlocking. The term refers to an episode from about two decades ago.