Code for clicking icons/moving cursor

A friend told me that Apple patented either of the two things mentioned in the subject. So MS had to code a very verbose workaround so that they didn't infringe on Apple's patent. Is this true or HIBT?

Go look it up yourself, then take your thread back to /g/ where it belongs.
http://www.google.com/patents
http://patft.uspto.gov/
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/