Apple, Samsung, Sandisk face MP3 patent lawsuit

A Texas firm has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Samsung and Sandisk alleging that the three portable music player makers have infringed a patent on MP3 technology. MP3 Technologies' patent describes a method for 'an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method', or more succinctly, a portable music player than can play MP3s. However the patent was only granted last June, almost five years after Apple released its first iPod 'MPEG portable sound reproducing system' and some years after Samsung and SanDisk followed suit. ...more

UPDATE: Warranties being honoured at struggling Elonex

Deloitte and Touche, the appointed administrator, has told us that existing warranties are being honoured during the period of the administration and businesses is continuing as usual at troubled Elonex. Neville Kahn of Deloitte and Touche said: 'We are hopeful that we will be able to conclude a sale of the business as a going concern.' Some 28 of the 76 staff employed by UK systems vendor Elonex are to be made redundant after the company went into administration on Monday. ...more

And also today (10-Apr-2001), for the record...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. Bad maths in the courtroom Last week an award of $296,873 was made against MP3.com in a copyright lawsuit brought by the record label Tee Vee Toons. ...more

Steve Jobs faces Disney destiny

Steve Jobs is poised to become the largest individual shareholder in Walt Disney if the company goes ahead with plans top buy Pixar Animation Studios. The Wall Street Journal claims (via MarketWatch) that Disney will pay slightly more than the $6.7bn that Pixar is currently worth. ...more

EU ad ban casts gloom for mobile operators

Valuable advertising revenues could be denied mobile operators as the Government introduces EU directives to ban ads sent to mobile phones. Location-based marketing, where users would receive adverts and information based on where they are, would be a valuable tool to help 3G mobile operators recoup the cost of licences and the funding needed to set up the networks. But the Data Protection Commission has confirmed that this kind of advertising could contravene the new rules. ...more