Step off, haters- here's why I posted that Apple podcast navigation patent app

A number of you are questioning my judgement about why I devoted such a significant amount of real estate here to the Apple podcast navigation patent app.

Quite a few of your comments came in the guise of "this is nothing new."

Well, whether there is anything new here or not has nothing to do with the newsworthiness of that patent application.

The overarching issue here is that Apple- in looking over the potential and existing competitive landscape as well as patent law the way it is currently being enforced- decided the circumstances involved were important enough for this patent application to be submitted, and then posted.

The point of whether or not the systems depicted in the patent application are original or not is not relevant to my decision to post, or to this conversation.

Apple obviously thinks this is important. And given the dominance of iPod, and the explosion of podcasting, my thinking is that because Apple thinks this is important- and will obviously litigate should the systems in this patent be usurped, then I think it is important.

The assertions that it may be too easy to get a patent, and that there most certainly are patent trolls out there, are not, IMHO, relevant elements in this discussion.

The fact is that under our current system, Apple has decided to apply for a patent in a vital and growing area.

And that's news.