The graphical user interface is indeed a great idea, but who invented it? Apple, Microsoft and Xerox launched a series of litigation battles over the patent rights of graphical user interfaces.
Apple founder Steve Jobs believed that it was not Microsoft that invented the graphical user interface, but Apple. Nathan Brookwood, a senior semiconductor industry analyst at market research firm Insight 64, said that when Jobs visited Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, he saw an early version of the operating system, which later produced graphics. User interface creativity.
Whether this statement is true or not, Apple sued Microsoft in federal court in 1988, claiming that Microsoft's graphical user interface design infringed on Apple's patent rights for the Mac operating system. However, not long after, Xerox took Apple to court, accusing Apple of stealing Xerox's ideas.
After six years of litigation and appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court made a final decision rejecting Apple and Xerox’s lawsuit. Apple's lawsuit was dismissed because Apple could not present strong evidence; Xerox's lawsuit was dismissed because the case was delayed for too long.