“You’d think physician Peter V. Boesen would want his lawyers spending most of their time appealing his prison sentence,” Paul McDougall reports for InformationWeek. “Boesen, a Des Moine, Iowa, surgeon recently sentenced to 51 months in federal penitentiary for healthcare fraud, is suing Apple. He’s alleging that the touch keyboard on the computer maker’s iPhone PDA violates a patent he holds through a company called SP Technologies.”
“Civil court records show that Boesen, through SP Technologies, has filed a number of patent suits in the past, including claims against Canon, LG Electronics, and Kyocera,” McDougall reports.
“Federal criminal records show that Boesen was sentenced to prison in May following a conviction on defrauding Iowa’s Medicare and Medicaid programs by filing false claims. He was also ordered to repay the state and private insurers more than $900,000,” McDougall reports. “Boesen is free pending an appeal. No word on whether he is using an iPhone to text his lawyer.”
Full article here.
Sometimes we don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Did he win the other suits?
When I was a child I would mush all my vegetables together with food I liked in order to force them down. I invented the Mashup. MDN pay up or else.
MDN,
Make that a laugh for ‘news’ reporting sites such as ‘The Street’
Make that a cry for such sad people trying to get money that way…
This is where Apple should countersue for legal fees and show this surgeon what proctology really means. Guys like this prosper in a climate where it’s cheaper to settle than to fight, and that’s a tremendously huge flaw with our legal system.
I bet they paid to make him go away.
This is a history-making pathetic vs. hysterical smackdown.
Forget The Cavemen. This story could be this fall’s new hit sitcom.
With Joey Buttafuoco as the doctor.
Other companies called SP Technologies:
http://www.4sptech.com/version2/index.html
http://www.spgrouponline.com/
http://www.sptechindia.com/
http://www.sptechs.net/
They might want to look into their company name while they’ve got their lawyers on the phone.
It’s “Des Moines” – not proud to say he from here. Love my iPhone –
i wonder how much he is suing apple for? could it be for $900,000 exactly?
Sue People Technologies?
@TMF:
I like your twisted sense of humor.
Holy cow, how did this numbnut have the patience to become a “surgeon”? Wouldn’t he have been better off becoming a trial lawyer and filing class-action suits for other jerks?
So I’m assuming that the bad doctor is also going after “The Chocolate”.
I’ve decided that I will neither laugh nor cry, but will remain indifferent to the incredible piles of manure.
In a way this story bodes well for Apple – It’s so totally ridiculous that it makes people waiting in the wings with frivolous law suits think twice about how much money it would really take to undo the permanent damage they would do to themselves and their already tenuous characters.
Laugh, cry…
or reach for a loaded pistol…
The fact that the legal system continues to cater to an oily weasel like this is astounding.
The important facts are that he has ‘prevously submitted fraudlent claims’.
Meaning, this guy is a conman – he has tried to screw the US medical industry and got sent down for it.
This fact does not exactly make his case against Apple worth much. Infact I would say based on his colourful history is that this guy has ZERO chance of winning this case with Apple.
It makes you wonder what sort of person he is that would rather spend money on Lawyers trying to sue a Corporation, while he is in prison, than to spend it on trying to get his freedom back.
He has probably even falsified any documentation to do with his case against Apple too.
The words ‘professional conman’ comes to mind.
‘Scum’ is another word too.
Here is an instance where Apple would get absolutely no bad publicity if they fought this suit to the bitter end. There would be no sympathetic jury involved, even in Texas.
Make a statement Apple. Countersue this bastard for making money off your invention. Get his patent squashed and get his sorry ass thrown in jail for non payment.
MDN – Laugh. Laughter does a body good.
Peace.
AJ:
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How can the court even take this guy seriously when he has already committed fraud in his own industry and now he’s trying to do the same with Apple? SICK!
Wouldn’t you call this type of behavior psychosis paranoia, in other word, he believes that every invention since the wheel has been stolen from him. Give him the chair and put an end to his misery.
I’ll bet if they search the records they’ll find that he sued himself for malpractice.
So it’s a joke.
The USPO needs to revisit a little concept called “prior art”. Endless variations on a theme are NOT valid patents. And if you don’t actually get anything built using your vague patent, you are screwed.
Boesen appears to be a prolific inventor. His patent is #6,784,873 “Method and medium for computer readable keyboard display incapable of user termination”
Based on the below info, it’s obvious to me that his invention will be invalided by Apple as having been obvious given the prior art. Either that, or Apple will (successfully) argue that their iPhone on-screen keyboard doesn’t violate his B.S. patent.
Here’s the patent abstract:
A method and medium for a computer readable input area. The input area is created by a computer program on a display capable of receiving touch-screen input. The computer on which the input area in used is at least a 32-bit system. The input area may contain a keyboard which is an image map. External programming may selectively access the input area through a dynamic link library. The input area has no task bar and may not be minimized, maximized, or deleted. Therefore, the input area becomes an integral component and provides the user with a constant and reliable method of inputting information into the computer program.
You can see that that the technology he’s describing isn’t at all novel. Then…
Here’s the field of the invention:
The present invention relates generally to a method and medium for inputting data, and more particularly, to a keyboard of constant size and shape present on the screen of a touch-screen style computer whenever user input may be desired. The keyboard display may be used by any number of computer software programs, including any known operating system in which a touch-sensitive computer display may be incorporated. Additionally, the present invention may be used in conjunction with any individual computer, network and/or Internet based system.
Note that the keyboard is “of constant size and shape”. Boesen clearly intended that the on-screen keyboard simulate a mechanical keyboard. The keys might “light up” or “press down”, but they certainly wouldn’t have dynamic keys that enlarge like the iPhone’s does.
This, at least is my opinion on the matter. It strikes me that Boesen is a litigious sort. I also don’t think he has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
Unfortunately, the guy’s prior record has nothing to do with the court’s decision. He either holds the rights or not.
But whether the law itself is completely stupid is another issue.
The Newton had both a touch sensitive screen and a screen based keyboard back in August 1993… Absolutely _ZERO_ merit to this one.
Hano
A quick google search reveals that he has sued other mobile manufacturers in the past, including LG Electronics
http://www.kattenlaw.com/People/Detail.aspx?attorney=165
A highly-paid surgeon who defrauded various healthcare institutions.
Now pursuing Apple based on some spurious, vague patent application.
And, according to public records, he’s a regular financial supporter of Republican politics and so seemingly is his wife.
I’m trying to work out which bit of this guy I find most repulsive.
mw: take – well, he certainly appears to be on the…
And, according to public records, he’s a regular financial supporter of Republican politics and so seemingly is his wife.
I’m trying to work out which bit of this guy I find most repulsive.
Would’ve it been better if he had supported Democrats with his conned money?
I’m trying to work out which bit of your post I find most repulsive. Nice between-the-lines try at taking the high road.
Do you still make a distinction between the two?
It is easy to see who the real crook is – Steve Jobs. Companies are popping up everywhere trying to protect their patents from the money grubbing crooked Apple. Steve could have spent a few minutes verifying that the technologies he was using didn’t step on other’s ideas, but he is too busy becoming the next zillionaire to worry about that. First Apple steals webkit from the open source community and then systematically steals technology from many companies to produce the newest toy for the uber rich – the iphone.
Maybe the public will begin to become disgusted with Apple and stop purchasing their products. This would make Apple start to think before stealing from others and put superior competitive products into customer hands. So stop buying these stolen products and let your friends know they are giving money to a known thief. There are lots of other companies that produce mp3s and phones that are easier to use, have more features, and are cheaper. Don’t get suckered into getting the “cool” product, get the one that isn’t built with ripped off technology…
That Mac Realist post has to be a troll, because no one can possibly be that stupid.If so much of Apple’s technology is ripped off, why is it no one can even come close to designing products as slick as Apple’s?
Then again…
It is easy to see who the real crook is – Bill Gates. After all Microimpotent is a convicted monopolist. Companies have gone down everywhere trying to protect their patents from the money grubbing crooked Microscum. Even the government tried to take them to court, but I guess Bill had enough money to buy them off. Bill could have spent a few minutes verifying that the technologies he was using didn’t step on other’s ideas, but he is too busy becoming the world’s richest man and removing the underwear shoved up his a$$ to worry about that. MS lambasted a whole bunch of products, Lotus 123, WordPerfect, Netscape and Apple from the community by the embrace, extend and extinguish recipe, along with a good dose of FUD and then systematically steals technology from many companies to produce the newest toy for the uber rich – the Xbox, Zune or that new tablet table.
The public is becoming disgusted with MS (see Vista reports) but like addicted lemmings, many cannot stop purchasing their products. This won’t make MiniScum start to think before stealing from others and put inferior dictatorial products into customer hands. But go ahead and continue to buy these inferior products and let your friends know they are giving money to a known thief and convicted monopolist. There are only a few other companies that produce mp3 player and phones that are not tied to MS. They tend to have more features, and are cheaper once you consider cost of ownership and ease of use. Continue to get suckered into getting the “cool cause we say so” product, the one that isn’t built with ripped off technology…
so that the real leaders can use the best.
It’s pathetic to read such a collection of comments from people who do not know what they are talking about. Dr. Boesen is a gifted surgeon whom I have known since 1988, when he was a 4th year resident in the Otolaryngology Department at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. The UI Otolaryngology Department is the top rated Otolaryngology Department in the United States. When I met Dr. Boesen, he was one of a handful of physicians in the department who were more interested in their patients than in jockeying for status. His specialty was pediatrics. In 1998, my son was born with a rare and terrible disorder that was instantly life-threatening. I again encountered Dr. Boesen–this time at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. Dr. Boesen performed multiple surgeries on my son over the course of two years and at least twice saved my son’s life. Dr. Boesen had a very successful practice in Des Moines and was a gifted and caring physician and surgeon. His conviction was a loss not only to him, but to the hundreds of families whose children were his patients. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Boesen was an inventor and indeed held several patents. It may have been the cost of defending the patents that cause him to overstep in his insurance billing practices. Regardless of the conviction, Dr. Boesen is not the person you folks and others–in your ignorance, belligerance and envy–would make him out to be.