Chinese iPod lawsuit

Apple and two affiliated companies have been sued in China for patent infringement, according to People's Daily Online. Two Beijing residents, Cai Yaohua and Chen Shaohua, are said to hold a patent for an intelligent audio server; the individuals believe that their technology is being used illegally in iPods, as well as a number of other players. The case will bring Apple, Apple Computer Trading, and Whuan COODOO before the Wuan Intermediate People's Court. The patent in question was applied for in 1996, and finally granted in 2002.

Apple has had to defend the itself against several similar claims in the past, including a suit filed by Creative in 2006 that accused the iPod-maker of knowingly infringing on a Zen patent relating to user interfaces. Another suit filed this year, on behalf of inventor Henry Milan, argued that Apple violated a connecting mechanism patent.

by MacNN Staff