Apple being sued over patent granted Tuesday

[DNQuest.com]

I think I will patent the internet.. darn, Al Gore beat me to it lol

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jd4qv6BTx_Wq4SIMIxFvYlNdUVKAD8VCCB1G0

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. was sued Wednesday over allegations its iTunes online music store and iPod music players are illegally using a patented method for distributing digital media over the Internet.

Atlanta-based ZapMedia Services Inc. sued Apple in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accusing the Cupertino-based company of violating two ZapMedia patents.

ZapMedia wants royalties on Apple's sales of iPods and iTunes music, which reached nearly $11 billion last year. The success of iTunes has helped make Apple the No. 2 music retailer in the U.S. behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to market researcher NPD Group.

The patents in question cover a way of sending music and other digital content from servers to multiple media players, a broad description that could also apply to a wide swath of other companies selling digital media and the devices to play it.

ZapMedia applied for the patents in 1999. One was granted in March 2006, the other on Tuesday.

ZapMedia said it met with Apple to discuss licensing, but Apple rebuffed the offer.

"When someone takes our vision and our intellectual property without a license after several attempts, we have no option but to protect it through every means available to us," Robert Frohwein, ZapMedia's general counsel, said in a statement.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company doesn't comment on pending lawsuits.

 

[labrocca]

I'd like the read the patent before judging it.

 

[Fka200]

I'd like the read the patent before judging it.

As would I. Thanks for posting this up.... interesting.

 

[netzilla]

Seems to me like someone is just trying to make a buck off of apple.

 

[DNQuest.com]

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...ND&d=PTXT&s1=zapmedia&OS=zapmedia&RS=zapmedia

knock yourselves out...

Basically, every form of transmission is covered with this patent. This will be interesting. Zapmedia Services has another patent granted which they willfully chosen not to enforce, but are trying to the the patent. This will be interesting.

 

[flamewalker]

Sometimes I just wanna smack the people that approve these kinds of patents

 

[labrocca]

WOW...reading it....that's a HORRIBLE patent.

I am shocked that no one patented driving...

"You start by getting inside a motored vehicle. Then you proceed to move from one place to another using this vehicle on a road. The road consists of a hard material. The motored vehicle will have at least 2 round wheels and as many as 18."

I should send that to the patent office.

 

[HeyGeek]

It is a REALLY broad patent. Wow...

 

[lpstong]

ZapMedia applied for the patents in 1999. One was granted in March 2006, the other on Tuesday.

ZapMedia said it met with Apple to discuss licensing, but Apple rebuffed the offer.

I know some of these patents can be pending for years before being approved. So it looks like there may be a big chance of the lawsuit or a possible settlement.

I know that Apple has a copywrite on things that can be started with the letter I before a word, but not the letter itself. IE> iphone, ipod, iwii.......

 

[PowerUp]

Why would the patent office grant this kind of patent? Don't the people who approved the patent use the internet themselves? Don't they have basic, common sense?

I smell corruption.

 

[DebX420]

But also remember this was given in 1999, when we were still kind of stupid in this whole area :P

 

[lpstong]

But also remember this was given in 1999, when we were still kind of stupid in this whole area :P

ROFL....Because we had to wait for Al Gore to finish inventing the internet for us.......

 

[PowerUp]

But also remember this was given in 1999, when we were still kind of stupid in this whole area :P

i thought the article wrote applied in 1999 and granted in 2006?