Patents Threaten To Silence A Little Girl, Literally
This is horrible. I've spent the last 18 months of my life developing an AAC text-to-speech app too ( <a href="http://ktype.net" rel="nofollow">http://ktype.net</a> ) and have dreaded this exact scenario. I've built the app from ground up, solving each problem my users might face on my own - from my own prediction engine to handling unintentional multi-touch taps ( <a href="http://ktype.net/wiki/research:articles:progress_20111105" rel="nofollow">http://ktype.net/wiki/research:articles:progress_20111105</a> ) without consulting any external sources. One tiny feature (say, allowing the user to change the size of cursor) could get me in the same position if some company owns a patent on it. It is heart-breaking to know that you are absolutely helpless to defend yourself against behemoths with lawyers.<p>By the way, the reason TTS AAC apps are so expensive (Speak for Yourself is $299, Proloquo2go is $189) is not just the developers. If you're using someone's TTS library (no good open-source ones exist), they can contractually require you not to sell your app under a specific amount because they want X% of your sales. And then of course the license fees to various patent-holders.<p>Patent reform isn't just about one-clicks and black-border-around-touchscreen tablets. It's about preventing the stifling of innovation. I built a truly unique feature in KType - guess which of the 2-10 multi-touch taps is intentional (i.e. based on the user's preferences, guess which one is the 'index' finger). As far as I know, no app or system can do this. Without this feature, users with speech and motor disabilities have a very difficult time using a touch-screen. I would love for this feature to be a part of all touch-screens, in the Accessibility configuration. That's why I openly described the algorithm the day I came up with it instead of patenting it. But I could be sued and shutdown because one of the many features of KType was broadly patented by someone two decades ago.<p>I dread being in an industry where trying to help others for barely any money can get you shuttered. I can make 10x more money making an ad/affiliate-network but I love seeing the look on my users' and their caregivers' faces when they are able to use my app to finally communicate after years of needing others' help. I hope this case ends well for Speak for Yourself but honestly, I'm not too optimistic.