Apple sues iPod riva (Creative)l over patents

International Herald Tribune ^ | 5/19/2006 | Bloomberg News

[Swordmaker]

WASHINGTON Apple Computer, maker of the iPod music player, is suing Creative Technology, raising the stakes in the legal dispute over competing devices. Apple claims Creative Labs, the U.S. division of Creative Technology, infringes four patents in its hand-held digital players. The suit was filed in a Wisconsin District Court on May 15, the same day Creative filed a lawsuit and a trade complaint against Apple. "Creative proactively held discussions with Apple in our efforts to explore amicable solutions," Phil O'Shaughnessy, a spokesman for Creative, said. "At no time during these discussions or at any other time did Apple mention to us the patents it raised in its lawsuit." Creative filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking an order to block imports of the iPod, most of which are made in China. A lawsuit the company filed against Apple in District Court in San Francisco is likely to be put on hold while the trade complaint is heard. The iPod controls 77 percent of the U.S. market, compared with less than 10 percent for Creative.

[Swordmaker]

Apple sues Creative over iPod patents... PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[coconutt2000]

Lawyers for Apple must be among the busiest in the business, after Microsoft's lawyers.

[Dallas59]

I have a Creative 5gb player. It works fine. Not as pretty as an ipod...cheaper.

[TheBattman]

Turnabout is fair play.

[martin_fierro]

	iPod
Send FReepmail if you want on/off iPing list WARNING: This is a high-volume Ping list. Turn your headphones down
The List of Ping Lists

[af_vet_rr]

Phil O'Shaughnessy, a spokesman for Creative, said. "At no time during these discussions or at any other time did Apple mention to us the patents it raised in its lawsuit."

Somebody needs to send a load of cheese to Creative, to go along with all that...oh never mind, that's too easy.

It probably would have been a good idea for Creative to have done a little research before hand. It's not like these patents are hard to find - not a week goes by that some Apple rumor site doesn't plaster an Apple patent across its front page.

I've always thought the iPod's interface was based on Finder, because it behaved exactly like it (at least if you were controlling Finder with a click-wheel).

[SlowBoat407]

"I'm afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant".