For those who are confused by the $1.1b decision won by @Caltech against Apple & Broadcom, here's a quick primer.
There are four patents in the suit:
US7116710
US7421032
US7916781
US8284833
They get REALLY technical, but they all involve the circumvention of the "Shannon Limit"
There are four patents in the suit:
US7116710
US7421032
US7916781
US8284833
They get REALLY technical, but they all involve the circumvention of the "Shannon Limit"
The Shannon Limit is theorem that establishes the theoretical maximum error-free data transfer rate of a channel with a given noise-level.
In other words, given a certain amount of frequency space & transmit power, the Shannon Limit is the maximum data rate through that channel.
In other words, given a certain amount of frequency space & transmit power, the Shannon Limit is the maximum data rate through that channel.
Think of it this way:
In a channel there is a point at which I am transmitting so much energy that the receiver gets errors & asks for retransmission, dropping throughput dramatically.
The SL defines that point so I can transmit UP TO that limit and maximize throughput.
In a channel there is a point at which I am transmitting so much energy that the receiver gets errors & asks for retransmission, dropping throughput dramatically.
The SL defines that point so I can transmit UP TO that limit and maximize throughput.
It's been a limitation for RF tech, specifically for WiFi technologies.
In the past, we went around the SL by binding multiple channels to increase throughput, but there are a limited number of channels & the sheer number of WiFi devices made that approach non-sustainable.
In the past, we went around the SL by binding multiple channels to increase throughput, but there are a limited number of channels & the sheer number of WiFi devices made that approach non-sustainable.
Enter @Caltech:
Their research found news ways of coding, decoding, code conversion and error detection/correction that would allow throughput to exceed the Shannon Limit for a given channel.
These patents were filed in 2001/2006/2008/2011, & granted in 2006/2008/2011/2012
Their research found news ways of coding, decoding, code conversion and error detection/correction that would allow throughput to exceed the Shannon Limit for a given channel.
These patents were filed in 2001/2006/2008/2011, & granted in 2006/2008/2011/2012
I have long rallied against NPE (Non-Practicing-Entities/"Patent Trolls") who buy obscure/poorly worded patents and try to extort companies without ever contributing any new knowledge to the world.
... CalTech is NOT one of those entities.
... CalTech is NOT one of those entities.
They did ORIGINAL research over the course of a decade & created a novel solution to a problem.
Their work was directly used in several wireless technologies (802.11n & ac) without ever being credited or compensated.
Broadcom & Apple (& others) made BILLIONS off of their work.
Their work was directly used in several wireless technologies (802.11n & ac) without ever being credited or compensated.
Broadcom & Apple (& others) made BILLIONS off of their work.
With this decision (though it WILL be appealed for years to come) expect other tech giants to come to the table with CalTech to properly license their patents.
The researcher gets paid for their work.
... good guys win.
theverge.com/2020/1/29/2111…
The researcher gets paid for their work.
... good guys win.
theverge.com/2020/1/29/2111…
