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Spotify Sued For Patent Infringement

Posted by timothy on from the just-a-hazing-ritual-nowadays dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Celebrated online music player Spotify just entered the US market a few weeks ago, and already it's being sued for patent infringement. Welcome to America! The patent in question is a very very broad patent on distribution of music in a digital form, which basically describes how anyone would ever distribute digital music. The company suing, PacketVideo, has no competing product. It just wants money from the company that actually innovated."

6 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Spotify by m2vq · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Spotify is actually an awesome service. For a few years it has almost completely stopped music piracy in scandinavia and in other european countries. Now instead of sending each other mp3 files as file transfer people are just pasting spotify links in IM conversations here. It's something music companies should be proud of, and help it grow even more.

    1. Re:Spotify by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      If you buy a track on Spotify it will be downloaded as a DRM free MP3.

    2. Re:Spotify by dakameleon · · Score: 4, Informative

      I suppose artists should be celebrating getting 0.00029c per play than nothing at all, right?

      --
      Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
  2. On the bright side by scottbomb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The more these patent trolls do their thing, the closer we get to legislation that puts an end (or at least seriously hampers) such behavior. Unfortunately, such legislation tends to have unintended consequences but seriously, this is getting out of control and something needs to be done. I can see this as another case where the "loser pays" idea may have an impact.

  3. Actually, this is for DRM protected music... by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Reading Claim 1, of which all the others are dependent, this is for the distribution of music using a user-specific DRM system. Also, the claim is incredibly long which != broad BTW. Remember, do one thing differently and you're golden. Reading the claim and with such specific nuggets like the music having to include a "core" that includes "at least one object identification code, object structure information, a consumer code and an encryption table", and at least one "layer" around the core containing "the actual music information" etc and I wonder if anyone would actually do it that way anyway. That was probably the way PacketVideo did it, who have actually be around for years doing video meida streaming going back to the 56K modem days (and probably before). And they are innovators, not a troll.

  4. It's a self-perpetuating problem by mykos · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Patents, in theory, are designed with the ultimate goal of rewarding creativity. But now creative people can't walk two steps without tripping over a patent. So now they have to work for a giant company who has a mountain of patents in its vault just so they have protection from being sued out of existence by companies like the ones they work for.

    Oh yeah, and anything creative the individual come up with is now property of the corporation, adding to the cycle.