You appear to have either misunderstood the article linked to, or read a mistranslation.
The article is quite clear (although inconsistent in one place) - this is a *trademark* and not a *patent*. Trademarks can be extended by 10 years when they expire. The inconsistency is in that they say the trademark was last extended on 15 June 2005 so it expires in 2025.

If the trademark has not been used for 5 years, it expires.
Apparently Apple (Switzerland) is already advertising their new product which would indicate that they are confident of being able to sell it there.

Have you ever heard some of the more obscure Swiss German dialects?
"Rätoromanisch" is only spoken in Switzerland, but only in one rural corner of the country so it hardly counts.

What can I say?
I *am* antisocial. If I'm outside walking/cycling/skiing/whatever, I don't want to be telephoned. Interactions are face to face or not at all.
I may have a google+ account (it came with the gmail address, which was a necessity when I bought an Android phone) but that does not mean I have ever used it, or the gmail account. No Facebook, no Linkedin, no Whatsapp, no whatever-the-other-one-was-which-Rupert-Murdoch-bought. I don't see a problem.

Ridiculous concept.
Ambulance chasers are top of the heap, and as long as Ambulance chasers make the laws things are going to stay that way.

ISIL have good techies, they will be able to get their candidates to jump through the hoops.

I know a pilot, and knew another one a few years back. One good guy, one PNNA.

Much less likely, I'd be more worried about the "depressed narcissistic arsehole" overpowering the stewardess and crashing the plane anyway.
I suspect (ok, assume) this is what happened to that Air Malaysia plane just over a year ago, the one which vanished without trace.

If the consequences are severe enough, they would have to refuse. Would the NSA even push that hard if both parties knew that this would be a death sentence for Verisign once the truth emerged?

So what happens when the "bad guys" start revoking legitimate certificates? In this context, that would be MCS or CNNIC revoking Google's real certificates.
I can imagine an NSA pulling a stunt like that as well.

So that is Google's way of fixing this problem?

The US is asking for the favour here, not China.
I can see more potential problems here for Vietnam if they became the US's "running dog". If I am missing something, then it is some point of conflict between Vietnam and China other than the humiliation inflicted 35 years ago.

btw, it is "annihilated", not "annhialated". Sorry - not a word I use too often.

Why "Poor Vietnam"? I see no reason for Vietnam to go along with this, they have historical ties with Russia and geographical ties with China. They start to have to make choices if China and Russia disagree but that does not appear to be the case here.
The last time China invaded Vietnam, China's troops were pretty much annhialated by village militias. Vietnam had invaded Cambodia to stop the Khmer Rouge and China took exception. The US weighed in on the side of China and the Khmer Rouge.

Missing Option: Cowboy Neal

That poll should have permitted more than one choice.

Hi houghi!
Have not heard from you in a long time (I frequent your old Usenet stamping ground).
Glad to see that you are ok.