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Apple Is Accused of Violating Software Patent
outz writes "And it begins... Creative Technology, a maker of portable music players, has accused Apple Computer of violating a newly granted software patent covering the way users navigate music selections." From the NYT article: "Creative Technology, which is based in Singapore and has United States operations in Milpitas, Calif., said it would consider every option available to defend the patent, including possible legal action. Apple declined to comment on the patent. The patent, which the company calls the Zen Patent, covers Creative's interface for portable players, which allows users to select a song, album or track by navigating a succession of menus. The patent office awarded the patent on Aug. 9." We reported on the granting of the patent a few days ago.
You'll excuse me if I'm not going to burst into tears about this one. If Creative sues the Free Software and Open Source communities over this, then I'll get a crap. But right now, Apple deserves everything it gets from this. They quite deliberately entered the game (they're not some innocent third party who accidentally and unknowingly infringed on the patent, they're one of the groups who wanted this technology locked down in the first place.) They've lost. Nah nah.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
The are going to loose the labels and the majority of their song stock (perhaps), they let both MS and Creative beat them at the patent office. The anti-iPod movement is growing among the ranks of real music lovers who want a better and corporation-independant service, many newspaper stories recently reported. I think the "Look I am a with the iPoders" just makes me laugh. Bunch of corporate brainwashed masses. The iPod is looking more and more like a fad and Apple's mistakes don't help their image. Become a memeber of the ANTI-CULT, FIGHT THE IPOD!!!