APPLE'S NEXT BATTLE for the iPOD: CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY'S PATENTS FOR THE ZEN and NOMAD

Apple Computer was sued for patent infringement of Creative Technology's patents. Apple, of course, produces the ever popular iPod-worn around almost every teenager's neck! Creative Technology sells both the Zen and Nomad to compete with iPod. Creative's patent relates to a system developed to organize and access song which Creative alleges the iPod infringes. Creative seeks an injunction and damages from Apple.

U.S. Patent No. 6,928,433, referred to as the Zen Patent by Creative, describes its innovation as follows:

A method of selecting at least one track from a plurality of tracks stored in a computer-readable medium of a portable media player configured to present sequentially a first, second, and third display screen on the display of the media player, the plurality of tracks accessed according to a hierarchy, the hierarchy having a plurality of categories, subcategories, and items respectively in a first, second, and third level of the hierarchy

Analysts are predicting a long, hard fought battle between the two companies. Stay tuned for more information or feel free to post your own updates or opinions regarding the suit-use the button at the end of this post.