14 DAY TRIAL // Documents regarding the Apple vs Sanho lawsuit have emerged, confirming that Apple is not happy with the practices carried out by the accessory maker, especially those involving the use of 30-pin connectors found on its MagSafe charger and cables.
Apple alleges violation of patents it owns related to these products, and has filed a lawsuit against Sanho Corporation, maker of the HyperMac line of accessories.
Softpedia reported earlier this month that Apple had taken legal action against the maker of iPod and iPhone accessories, but details were scarce at the time.
The suit, filed in a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, reveals that Apple actually notified Sanho of its infringement via official letters on April 26, May 19 and June of 2010, according to AppleInsider.
It seems that, just like Psystar, Sanho decided to go forward with its unlawful business, despite warnings from Cupertino.
Specifically, the lawsuit accuses the Sunnyvale-based company of infringing on six MagSafe- and iPod-related patents, spanning a range of products sold under the HyperMac brand.
According to the filings, the patents infringed upon by Sanho are:
U.S. Patent No. 7,517,222 - "Magnetic Connector for Electronic Device" U.S. Patent No. D618,189 - "Connector" U.S. Patent No. 7,627,343 - "Media Player System" U.S. Patent No. 7,751,853 - "Female Receptacle Data Pin Connector" U.S. Patent No. 7,783,070 - "Cable Adapter for a Media Player System" U.S. Patent No. D588,545 - "Connectors"
Sanho’s magnetic power connectors, known as MBP-PRO and MBP-AIR, as well as a MacBook car charger, MBP-CAR, are among the products named in the suit.
References to the charging and data cables that rely on the 30-pin dock connector compatible with Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad can also be spotted in the filings.
Apple specifically names Sanho’s "HyperMac Nano," "HyperMac Micro" and "HyperMac Mini" products, according to the aforementioned source, which provides a few quotations from the documents in question:
"Defendants manufacture, distribute, and/or sell products that infringe patents related to Apple's proprietary MagSafe connectors used to connect power adapters and other products to Apple portable computers, such as the MacBook."
"Defendants also manufacture, distribute and/or sell products that infringe patents related to Apple's 30-pin connectors and receptacles , used to connect cables to Apple iPod, iPhone and/or iPad products."
"Defendants' infringing conduct has damaged Apple and inflicted irreparable harm for which Apple seeks, among other remedies, an award of its actual damages, disgorgement of Defendants' profits from the sale of infringing devices and injunctive relief."
Be sure to check out Sanho’s “brilliant” HyperMac gallery before it’s too late.