US patent office rejects claims of Apple 'pinch to zoom' patent
my first reaction to this was "bah, software patents. I love living in the EU."<p>But, this got me thinking - it a patent about something like a touch interface (intrinsically linked to hardware, but where software is required) software or not?<p>This also works for double clicks, key repeat delay, and stuff like joysticks.<p>Once you've invented the mouse, can you then patent every way of clicking and shaking? similarly, following the touchscreen, can we then patent every conceivable way to tap/swipe/pinch it?<p>I want to say "no, all these patents are obvious and dumb," but the "software is mathematics" mantra really doesn't hold for these kind of fluffy, hands-on concepts.<p>hmm.