Fun with Lawsuits

"At the heart of the disputes are the kind of small but convenient features that would cause many people to complain if they were not in their smartphones. For example, the case decided Monday involves the technology that lets you tap your finger once on the touch screen to call a phone number that is written inside an e-mail or text message. It also involves the technology that allows you to schedule a calendar appointment, again with a single tap of the finger, for a date mentioned in an e-mail."
                                      --"U.S. Backs Apple in Patent Ruling That Hits Google"

In response to the ruling, makers of android phones have promised to alter the technology so that it requires one and one half finger-taps.  Meanwhile, in a countersuit, android manufacturers are suing Apple over the appearance of the word "android" in online dictionaries included as free apps for iPhones.  Washington is also suing Apple over the company's use without permission of the state's iconic fruit as both its corporate name and, by implication, as the nickname of downloadable features.  The Seattle tribe of Native Americans is in turn suing Washington State, but, as usual, no one is paying any attention.

Meanwhile, back in the mobile-phone-and-app arena, a group of ornithologists is suing Zynga for defamation on behalf of birds everywhere, who insist they are not angry, merely anti-pig.  Last year, the National Association of Pig Farmers settled with Zynga for an undisclosed amount.  The Solipsist will file a suit against Google next week for its continuous snubbing of this column as a "Blog of Note."

The Arab League is also suing mobile phone manufacturers for their unlicensed use of the numerals 1 through 9 on keypads.