Creative Sues Apple, Now Apple Sues Creative

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12872050/from/RSS/' target='_blank'>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12872050/from/RSS/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Shares of Creative Technology, the Singapore consumer electronics group, fell on Friday after Apple Computer filed a counter-suit in an expanding legal dispute over patent rights involving their rival digital music players. The fall came as analysts warned that a protracted and costly court battle could distract Creative's management as the company struggles to prevent further losses from its ambitious foray into the MP3 market. Apple alleged Creative infringed four patents for user-interface systems on the digital music players. The suit was filed in response to a similar allegation against Apple by Creative, which is seeking damages and the suspension of sales of the Apple iPod in the United States."</i><br /><br />I can't say that I'm surprised, though in this fight Creative has more to lose than Apple does - Apple can afford to pay Creative a patent, but Creative's MP3 player business is hurting to bad, I don't know that they could survive having to pay Apple for infringing on four different patents. The article goes on to say that some analysts are suggesting Creative leave the MP3 player market alltogether, which I think would be a real shame. I've really liked every Creative player I've had (well, ok, the Zen Jukebox Xtra was pretty clunky) but I think they've hit a home run with their Zen Vision line and it would be a shame to cede the market to Apple.

[Phronetix]

Yeah, they seem like the only company that has a proper industrial design team. I hope they and Apple can call it a truce, give or take, and get on trying to outdo the iPod. Creative reminds me of the second smartest kid in the class who needs to suck up to the teacher to get what they want.

All that wasted effort - temps perdu - that they could be putting into their design departments. And they're still the second smartest kid by a mile.

[Jason Dunn]

And they're still the second smartest kid by a mile.

Sometimes the smartest kid in the class isn't really the smartest - he's just a suck-up to the teacher and manipulates all his fellow classmates into thinking they like him despite all his flaws. :wink: :lol:

[randalllewis]

[i]"The article goes on to say that some analysts are suggesting Creative leave the MP3 player market alltogether, which I think would be a real shame.

Analysts! Bah! I am so sick of reading what analysts think a company should do. Three cheers to any CEO who looks at the long term and does what he or she thinks is right regardless of what analysts say. Analysts said HP should get out of the PC business. Today, HP is gaining on Dell in the PC space. Analysts are unhappy that Microsoft is investing billions in its future instead of worrying about the quarterly results. Analysts want Creative out of the MP3 business. There are customers who aren't locked into the Apple hegonomy in digital music. In this non-analysts view, Creative's problem is not trying to compete with Apple, but in doing it in a passive manner.

I sincerely believe that analysts hold the most useless job in the American economy. I could go on and on about this, but this isn't the the place.