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That Syncing Feeling (1/23/00)
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And so we must bid adieu to one of the most entertaining little men ever to grace the AtAT cast: Dr. Hanoch Shalit, the man, the myth, the legend. This is the guy who filed a ridiculously overinflated $1.1 billion lawsuit against Apple Computer, Inc. for allegedly infringing his color management patents in the product known as ColorSync, and then issued a press release every week or so to try to sponge as much investor attention as possible out of the suit. Well, here's a press release for Hanoch: according to an Apple press release, that lawsuit is now over, relegated to the Great Frivolous Lawsuit Dustbin of History; "the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has dismissed the Imatec, Ltd. and Hanoch Shalit patent litigation suit against Apple." Thanks to faithful viewers Adam Farstrup and Jim Joyner for being the first to share the joy.
And it sounds like Hanoch really took a pounding in the decision: "the Judge determined that Imatec and Shalit do not own the patents on which the suit was based and, furthermore... ColorSync does not infringe on these patents in any case." Ooooh, that's gotta hurt; given that Imatec doesn't make a single product but apparently only licenses out its now-worthless patents, it sounds like Hanoch's left with nothing. So much for the path to easy money. But hey, you mess with the bull and you get the horns. Schadenfreude, anyone? And it could have been lots worse: Judge Wapner would also have had Rusty the bailiff smack Hanoch upside the head and told him to get a real job, so we figure he kinda got off easy.
Just for fun, we thought we'd mosey on over to the Imatec web site; it still focuses on the lawsuit, with nary a mention that the suit's been thrown out of court. We figure Hanoch's still reeling from seeing his get-rich-quick scheme pull a Titanic. Any bets on what his next press release will say? "Today, Dr. Hanoch Shalit found out that karma does exist, much to his professional and financial chagrin..."
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SceneLink (2048)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 1/23/00 episode: January 23, 2000: Suddenly Steve's one of the highest-paid CEOs in history-- who knew? Meanwhile, Dr. Hanoch Shalit watches his get-rich-quick lawsuit crumble into dust, and Palm gets ready to introduce the first color Palm OS device; will it bear an Apple logo?...
Other scenes from that episode: 2047: The iCEO's Makin' Bank (1/23/00) You know, it's amazing what a difference a couple of weeks can make. A fortnight ago, Steve Jobs was probably the lowest-paid CEO of a billion-dollar company in history. For two and a half years, the man accepted $1 a year as his only salary as he turned a sinking ship into the darling of the computer industry... 2049: Oooh, The Colors! (1/23/00) Here's to the crazy ones... the dreamers... the optimists. The folks like us still holding out hope that the fabled Apple-Palm device isn't just a rumor. Because the people who are crazy enough to put their faith in vague rumors and pipe dreams are the ones who get to say "I told you so" if the blasted thing ever actually sees the light of day...
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