A joint venture company between Philips and Sony called Intertrust, has decided to file a patent infringement suit against Apple, asserting that 15 of the company’s patents have been violated.
Intertrust’s patents cover a range of devices and services for digital restrictions management (DRM) to protect intellectual property.
In a statement on the company’s website, Intertrust’s CEO, Talal Shamoon had the following to say regarding the lawsuit.
“Apple makes many great products that use Intertrust’s inventions. Our patents are foundational to modern Internet security and trusted computing, and result from years of internal research and development. We are proud of our record of peaceful and constructive licensing with industry leaders. We find it regrettable that we are forced to seek Court assistance to resolve this matter.”
The lawsuit targets a wide range of Apple’s products and services, including the iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple TV, iCloud, iTunes, and the App Store. In it’s statement, the company asserts that they have been successful at licensing their patents with companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, LG, HTC, Sony, Vodafone, Philips and others.
Striking a settlement deal with Intertrust may not come cheaply for Apple. The Next Web notes that Intertrust settled a complaint with Microsoft in 2004 for a one-time payment of $440 million. Apple has not released a comment on the lawsuit at this time.
Source: Intertrust
Via: TNW
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
