A small company called Robocast seems to be making a bit of a cash grab against Apple in a new patent infringement lawsuit, as the former claims that Cupertino has ripped off their automated browsing technology in iTunes, Apple TV and Front Row.
The patent in question claims to be the pioneer patent when it comes to automated browsing. The patent summary in question reads:
“A method of sequencing and scheduling web resources, via a software application that collects URLs and feeds them to a Web browser, so that the amount of clicks and decisions are reduced when browsing the Internet.”
Seem ludicrous? Robocast’s actual lawsuit is even more so, claiming that Apple willfully violated their patent and had explicit knowledge of their technology because they demonstrated the tech to one mysterious man back in 1999 who claimed to be an Apple employee. Similarly, Robocast claims that they met an equally murky iTunes executive who they fail to name and showed off their tech.
Robocast wants Apple to pay damages and an ongoing licensing fee. Good luck with that, guys.
