Apple vs. Samsung Endangers California’s Tech Community

[Commentary] California, with its renowned universities and the great minds they produce, coupled with the widespread proliferation of high-speed networks and Internet technologies, has been at the center of the mobile revolution.

This state, with the help of companies like Apple, is exporting innovation across the country and around the world. As a result, we have contributed to a story of success that allows the great mass of people to communicate and share through greater accessibility to smartphones and high-speed connectivity.

That is why, as someone who is passionate about technology, I am troubled to see Apple now engage in tactics that may hinder the progress under way. The ongoing Apple-Samsung legal conflict could pose a threat to the adoption of technology with ripple effects throughout California’s tech economy. Whether directly connected to a particular product or service developed within the state or farther away, our economy benefits from greater consumer adoption of innovative, mobile technologies. At the same time, the exorbitantly high patent royalty fees Apple is demanding, if granted, would dramatically increase the price of some smartphones, and place an unnecessary financial burden on consumers who prefer those devices over the Apple iPhone.

[Terpstra, Former Special Advisor for Information Technology, Office of the Governor, California]