14 DAY TRIAL // Apple keeps getting slapped with lawsuit after lawsuit, and they seem to be getting more and more flamboyant by the day. The latest one claims that the iTunes Store, and everything it touches, infringes on a smaller firm's patents.
Filed on April 24th in the Texas court division, the 5-page complaint by Internet media firm Individual Network LLC claims that Apple is violating their patent related to targeted media delivery.
The patent, titled "Method and System for Providing a Customized Media List," details the concept of creating a customized list of content to be digitally transmitted, based on the user's personalized information. Thus, selected audio and video content could be presented to the user once a server compares the database to a user's recent choices or media library. This envelops everything from personal profiles to a user's media playback history. Individual Network claims that these aspects of iTunes Store's front-end which narrow content based on an Apple ID's data and habits, such as the genre tabs that have appeared in the main window or the Just For You feature, directly infringe on the patent and cause serious damage to the LLC's business.
Individual Network's complaint accuses Apple's entire music ecosystem of profiteering from iTunes sales and points to anything which can download copies of that content, including the iPod, as contributing to the reported damage. Not only are they looking for royalties for every iTunes song or video sold but also for "reasonable" percentage of the revenue from associated devices such as all iPods. Also, devices such as the Apple TV and iPhone could be subject to future ruling, especially if Apple allows these devices to interact directly with the iTunes Store. Last but not least, complainant is also requesting a permanent injunction that would block any sales of unlicensed iTunes and iPod goods, forcing the Cupertino-based electronics maker to accommodate Individual Network's demands even during the possible appeal process.