I Am a HAL 9000 Computer and Your Patents are Going...I Can Feel It

Samsung is seeking to invalidate Apple patents related to the iPad, claiming that Stanley Kubrick's mega-influential 1969 space flick 2001: A Space Odyssey anticipates the entire concept.

This one could get interesting. The cited YouTube clip of the film doesn't give much more than a view of a tablet with a video screen, but this move is potentially a big ball of wax for patent litigators. The undeniable influence of movies and TV shows like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. is still driving innovation in everything from cell phones to watches (can anyone say Dick Tracy?).

Original coverage here:
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/stanley_kubrick_thought_of_ipad_design_first_samsung_says_in_patent_spat