On Thursday August 20 2009 Apple Inc. filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The title of the patent is “Auto Messaging to Currently Connected Caller”.
The patent is filed for the iPhone and iPod. The actual patent filing can be view here. (Apple Patent)
This is what the patent is for. To transfer files to the same person or another person, while currently on a connected call. The file transfer can be pictures, or music files.
What exactly is Apple Inc. trying to do? encourage file swapping on their iPhone? For years record companies had been bullied by Steve Jobs and Apple Inc. on copyright fees. iTunes sells single downloads for .99 cents USD. This amount has not increased since 2003.
Although it is expected to increase this year to 1.29 USD per single download, and possibly decrease to .69 USD for older songs.
Apple Inc. is blackmailing record companies and indie musicians, because they have the majority market share for iTunes and iPhones, IPods. With millions of units sold, they have a strong hold on music distribution.
Now with this new patent iPhone users can swap songs with the person they are on the phone with, without hanging up the call. This will encourage more people to swap songs illegally. I am sure record companies will try to stop this patent if possible? I am also very sure Steve Jobs will blackmail the record companies like he already had done in the past, and like he did yesterday.
Now the public will know about this patent, and public demand will want to have this option and ability on their iPhones. It does not stop there, if other companies like Nokia, Samsung, Sony want to provide this same functionality on their mobile units, they will have to pay a license fee to guess who? Apple Inc.
This is a dangerous game Apple Inc. is playing. The losers will be all the recording artists, who will get reduced royalties, record labels and indie labels.
The biggest loser will be the Indie musicians who have direct agreements with iTunes.
By George Luker © Copyright 2009 Krule Music Group
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