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Apple’s ‘Pinch to Zoom’ Patent Rejected

INVENTIONS

Was cornerstone of Samsung case.

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Karly Domb Sadof/AP

In Apple’s defense, it is a pretty sweet feature. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected Apple’s claim to the “Pinch to Zoom” patent. The function—which iPhone users will recognize as the ability to intuitively zoom by using your finger and thumb on a touchscreen—was a cornerstone of Apple’s case against Samsung. The basis of the initial ruling was that other patents essentially covered the same invention. Translation: You didn’t invent the wheel.

Read it at The Wall Street Journal