Apple Slapped with Copyright Suit Involving iTunes Interface

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1143' target='_blank'>http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1143</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Contois Music Technology last week asked a Federal Court to stop the iPod maker from distributing its iTunes jukebox software and is seeking damages over an alleged patent violation by the iTunes software. The suit, filed on June 13th in Vermont District Court, alleges that Apple's iTunes software design infringes on Contois' six-year old design patent (US Patent No. 5,864,868) entitled "Computer Control System and User Interface for Media Playing Devices."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/itunes_suit.jpg" /><br /><br />Ha Ha! At last the shoe is on the other foot; with Apple being the defendant instead of the Plaintiff! ;) <br /><br />Seriously, I haven't looked at the finer details of this suit, but based on the wording it sounds like most jukebox software is violation as well. What about Microsoft, MusicMatch, or Real Networks? Could Contois be panning for gold in Apple's money stream? Mmmm...could be.

[Jason Eaton]

Gut reaction? Business plan of 2004-2006 increase profits through litigation.

First off doesn't the patent holder have to actively defend their patent? How long has iTunes been out? How long have prior music juxbox players been out doing the same thing BEFORE iTunes?

I hate to say it but there are a lot of instance of 'prior art' that negates the case in my eyes. Including Apple's very own directory structure display (mutiple column hierachy) that has been around since NeXT and the late eighties, which is what iTunes is in a fancy wrapper.

Secondly, this is like the 21st century equivelent of patenting the wheel or one click shopping. Does someone have a patent on the Dewey Decimal System for arranging libraries?

I lean strongly towards someone who had a patent, was informed of the infringment by a lawyer looking to leverage their own business by plying dollar signs to the vision of the patent holder. The timing is just too suspect to complain this late in the game.