iTunes Infringes on Someone Else's Patent – Big Deal

Oh, Apple, when will you learn? The latest lawsuit for the Silicon Valley giant is aimed at their bread and butter, iTunes. A complaint filed by Individual Network LLC claims that the iTunes store is violating a patent that caters to targeted media delivery. Sounds like a lot of BS to me, but I’m no patent attorney.

The patent in question delivers a customized list of digital content based on personal info, which sounds a lot like what iTunes does with ‘Just For You’ and a few other features. If Individual Network were to win this lawsuit against Apple it could bring the whole house down – sort of. Not only would they receive royalties for all content sold on iTunes, but they’d also cut into iPod, Apple TV and upcoming sales of the iPhone. Could it get any worse? Yes it can. Individual Network is also pushing for a permanent injunction that would block all sales of unlicensed iPod and iTunes goods. Is Apple afraid? Probably not. They’ll just pay everyone off with iPods and shell out free credits on iTunes. Ha!

Patent

Apple slapped with iTunes customization lawsuit [Apple Insider]