Covid-19: US startup risks clash with Apple, Google over virus-app royalties


Tech giants like Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc, the parent of Google, which both offer contact tracing tools via mobile phone apps, aggressively seek to get patents cancelled through the USPTO and are even more relentless in court. The type of patent Pittman has could be vulnerable under a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that limited the types of software that can be patented. — AFP

A Utah-based startup says it has exclusive business rights to the use of smartphones and other electronic devices for tracing people who have come into contact with a person with Covid-19, setting up a potential patent-infringement battle with some of the biggest technology companies.

Blyncsy, Inc, which describes itself as a “movement and data intelligence” company headquartered in Salt Lake City, holds the business method patent for “tracking proximity relationships and uses thereof” by identifying the movements of people with a contagious disease, chief executive officer Mark Pittman said.

Subscribe now and stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM40,000! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 9.73/month

Billed as RM 9.73 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.63/month

Billed as RM 103.60 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.


Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read


Want to listen to full audio?

Unlock unlimited access to enjoy personalise features on the TheStar.com.my

Already a subscriber? Log In