Date   : Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:44:07 +0100
From   : paul2004v@... (Paul Vernon)
Subject: making replica acorn cards

> Paul Vernon wrote:
>
> > Just look at Apple, MS, Oracle, Google,  Sony, Samsung to name just  
> > a few who sue each other over IPR "patent  infringements" all the  
> > time. Apple are currently suing Samsung  becasue their Galaxy S  
> > phone *looks* too much like an iPhone in  operation for instance.
> 
> For a long time I've wondered why nobody's ever sued somebody for
> the "idea" of controlling a moving vehicle with a steering wheel,
> clutch, break and accellerator pedels, and why no court has
> ordered different car manufacturer to implement different
> "look 'n' feel"s in their cars.
> 

In the very early motor industry days, most manufacturers did have different 
look and feel and modes of operation. Not all cars had steering wheels and 
gearboxes, clutches, accellerators etc all operated differently depending 
on the manufacturer. It wasn't until the 1920's I believe that the industry 
as a whole had the idea of standardisation to make it easier to sell cars... 
Hence they all agreed on the basics and got on with the job of adding value
to their products. Less legal hassles, no patent infringements to worry about
etc. These days however, we live in a much less co-operative society.

Paul