[spook76]

No, I'm not and I'm just stating my opinion of it and I hate it.


The reason is it limits freedom of us customers and ruins competitiveness and leads to stale product development. Say what if ANC was patented. Person wants a ANC headphone but is picky about the sound quality. Then the person has to rely on that particular headphone company to get a good sounding headphone. Well we all know that is not an easy task, especially to fit into everyone's taste as we all have our different personal taste on how it should be. It could also cause the developer with the patent to become lazy and release half-assed attempts with little efforts as they are the only competitor with that feature. U.S. patent law is a competitiveness edginess dampening system and limit of freedom of choice to the customer. Yes it's good that it protects the development efforts of the developer but again to me, it's more of a harm than it does good. That companies have abused the system doesn't make it better.


Luckily europe has released this.

If we followed your logic, there would be no ANC patent to steal. Why would Bose develop it knowing full well its competitors would simply copy it upon release? In your system, say goodbye to new inventions.

While the EU may allow it (I have no expertise on EU law), thankfully US law precludes importation of patent infringing products.

You have a valid point about reducing competitiveness and that is why the length of the patent is set by statute.

 

[davidsh]

Patents are always a balance. Without patents nobody would want to put in massive amounts of money in research, with patents competitiveness takes a drop. That ain't rocket science. Of course finding a good balance is oth.

 

[spook76]

Exactly right!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I edited the last line a bit so posting it in case you missed it. 
 

There has to exist some limit at which and how things are patented, in U.S. the bar seems set too low. Patenting certain technologies is just harm for customers in the world.

My problem is the fact how easy and favorable for the company the patenting system is. Certain technologies like ANC for example I see more like a fundamental part of a headphone these days just as much as "closed" vs "open" headphone design can't be patented or patenting "headband design for headphone" would be equally silly. The youth is listening in very noisy environment these days in the cities that it's GOOD to bring the background noise down if possible so that they don't turn up the volume to excessive levels. Should be in the best interest to preserve the hearing of the population, hence why ANC patents is a bit silly to me, the more options the merrier here.

This is what I had in mind but should have written it down perhaps, again my problem with it is how easy and how favorable the patenting system is to corporations and that the bar for what can be and cannot be is set very low. 

I rest my case now, not going to discuss this anymore.

 

[Thad-E-Ginathom]

Patents are always a balance. Without patents nobody would want to put in massive amounts of money in research, with patents competitiveness takes a drop. That ain't rocket science. Of course finding a good balance is oth.

Patents on real engineering and process achievements are different to patents on rectangles with curved corners. The first ensure that the engineering was worth it; the second are an abuse of the ideal of the idea, the law, and the consumer.
 
Bose v Beats? Perhaps we should know a little more about the basis for the suit before condemning it, or assuming that Apple's experience in this area will flatten them. On would hope that it has to do with more than the letter b! Bose may not be a Samsung, but they are no little guy with no experience of courts, surely?
 
(Somehow the text of your quoted post disappeared: edited it in)
 
 
~

 

[ForShure]

Two of the worst audio companies fighting each other...I love it.

 

[cb3723]

I own but one Bose headphone the QuietComfort15 and I bought it largely for its awesome worlds best ANC - the only headphone that puts the world virtually on mute - I can see why Bose as a company would be resolute in defending any patent infringement on this technology as it's clearly gives their products that utilise this feature it's added value head and shoulders above their competition.

But maaan, the patent lawyers involved in this battle of the giants are going to be getting paid some serious fees, lol

Maybe Apple will just try to buy Bose out and be done with it?

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Two of the worst audio companies fighting each other...I love it.

I'm eager to see this battle unfold just as much as you do. 

 

I own but one Bose headphone the QuietComfort15 and I bought it largely for its awesome worlds best ANC - the only headphone that puts the world virtually on mute - I can see why Bose as a company would be resolute in defending any patent infringement on this technology as it's clearly gives their products that utilise this feature it's added value head and shoulders above their competition.

But maaan, the patent lawyers involved in this battle of the giants are going to be getting paid some serious fees, lol

Maybe Apple will just try to buy Bose out and be done with it?

I don't think Apple is going to be willing to buy out Bose, expecially now that they have Beats on their roster. 
 
But one thing of note: Patent lawyers always get paid serious fees.
I guess I should become one in the future.

 

[uli87]

Boseats

I own but one Bose headphone the QuietComfort15 and I bought it largely for its awesome worlds best ANC - the only headphone that puts the world virtually on mute - I can see why Bose as a company would be resolute in defending any patent infringement on this technology as it's clearly gives their products that utilise this feature it's added value head and shoulders above their competition.

But maaan, the patent lawyers involved in this battle of the giants are going to be getting paid some serious fees, lol

Maybe Apple will just try to buy Bose out and be done with it?

 
Yeah.. then merge the two to create the most horrific thing known to audio enthusiasts - Boseats
 
I thought the Bose Triports were all that back in the day. I took good care of them and still have them with me today. Pretty bad.

 

[cb3723]

Boseats

Yeah.. then merge the two to create the most horrific thing known to audio enthusiasts - Boseats

I thought the Bose Triports were all that back in the day. I took good care of them and still have them with me today. Pretty bad.

 

[kimvictor]

Intriguing. I always thought Bose had the best ANC technology ever(though Sony and few other manufacturers are getting much better nowadays). I honestly can see why Bose would defend their technology fiercely. It's one of their only major selling points. Though the timing is bit awkward to be honest. Apple is not going to be easy to fight against. Even other giant companies(ahm... Samsung perhaps) are having great difficulty fighting Apple in law suits.

 

[macbob713]

Bose has always inflamed the high end community, ever since Amar Bose challenged a very negative review published by Consumer Reports on the company's first loudspeaker, the Bose 901. The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court, which vindicated Bose. Back in the 1970's, the 901 was one of the hottest selling speakers in the US. Good reviews flowed from Stereo Review and other publications until Stereophile published a scathing review critiquing the speaker. The speaker went on as a big seller for decades and numerous improvements were made to it, all the way to the current version 6, which was upgraded again last year. It was the final project Dr Bose worked on prior to his death.
Bose has always been an innovative and creative company. Bose himself taught electrical engineering at MIT, and recruited his top students to careers at Bose. When Dr Bose died, he left controlling interest in the company to MIT so the company would continue on as it did under his management. Bose has and continues to make very good audio products. They are designed for the mass market, and brilliantly marketed. Are they the finest name in sound, no, but they are the best known brand in the world.
I've owned the 901 in the past, and in the right room with good equipment sounds really good. I also used to have a lifestyle surround system, and that was great with movies but just ok with music. Still have my Quiet Comfort 15's, which I use for travel and for patio use, but that's it. For real headphone listening, I'm using the AKG K812 with the SPL Phonitor 2.

 

[Armaegis]

I feel like this is just a calculated publicity grab/bridging the gap for brand awareness. Now that beats has been around for long enough, all those "punks who don't know better" are growing up into "adults who don't know better", which is pretty much the Bose demographic.

 

[davidsh]

  I feel like this is just a calculated publicity grab/bridging the gap for brand awareness. Now that beats has been around for long enough, all those "punks who don't know better" are growing up into "adults who don't know better", which is pretty much the Bose demographic.

Haha, so well said!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Juicy stuff.

+1 on beats suing Yamaha. What happened with that?