(Image courtesy of Engadget)
If you’re in the market for a third-party charging cable or car charger for your MacBook because Apple’s own solutions are too expensive, you better act fast -- the sun may be setting for good on at least one company’s option.
Engadget is reporting that HyperMac has bowed to pressure from Apple and will stop selling their MacBook charging cables and car chargers as of November 2, the result of a patent-infringement lawsuit over parent company Sanho’s unlicensed use of Cupertino’s MagSafe power connector.
“As part of our ongoing comprehensive licensing negotiations with Apple regarding a wide array of technologies and issues, we have decided to cease the sale of the MacBook charging cables and car charger on November 2, 2010,” the company announced in a statement. “While we will continue to sell the same batteries together with the rest of our product line after November 2nd, they will not be able to charge MacBooks without the cables.
“If you wish to get the world's ONLY external battery and car charger solution that works with ALL MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (supports dual voltage) as well as the iPad, iPhone 3/3GS/4, iPod and all other USB devices, NOW is the time,” the statement urges. “On November 2, 2010 00:00 U.S. Pacific Time, they will gone for good.”
Or maybe not: Sanho Corporation president Daniel Chin claims that the company is now “in the middle of license negotiations with Apple and ceasing the sale of the MagSafe cables was a prerequisite for negotiations to go on.” Here’s hoping the two parties can work something out -- those HyperMac batteries come in awfully handy for stuff like Apple’s media event this Wednesday, October 20.
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coolgrabb
October 26, 2010 at 6:21pm
That magnetic connector patent should have never been granted in the first place since it was previously used in commerce (in home appliance and few others). The impact of this case is Apple gets to double-dip its patent rights (i.e. charging patent when it sold the connector then charged it again when someone down the line bought the used connector and reused it) and thus burdens end consumers (e.g. an end user may have to pay Apple's patent several times that are included in the retail price). Sanho should argue its position based on Patent Exhaustion rule and its chilling effect in impeding commerce. To fight a Goliath, Sanho should get public opinion support through media, seek free legal support from advocacy groups (e.g. amicus brief if the case does go that far), and request support from other similarly situated manufacturers or trade organizations. After all a bad precedent hurts us all and has a long lasting effect on business practice and whether people want to do business with American technology companies. This case sends a chilling message to all manufacturers and developers who spend their R&D and develop peripheral products in supporting Apple products and Apple user community. Discouraging supporting developers and peripheral product manufacturers for a limited licensing fee seems to be a hefty price to pay for Apple. In the end, I am not so sure Apple is the real winner here while all Apple users are likely losers for paying more and getting less from now on. At very least, Sanho should consider an impleader to join Sanho China assuming Sanho USA and Sanho China do not share all their shareholders (i.e asking Sanho China to indemnify and reimburse).
