14 DAY TRIAL // Creative is going to go after Apple over a patent that covers the way content is organized and shown in a portable MP3 player, using a hierarchical system with three or more screens. This patent, dubbed the 'Zen Patent', had been applied for by Creative on 5 January 2001 and was awarded it on 9 August.
"We will pursue all manufacturers that use the same navigation system. This is something we will pursue aggressively. Hopefully this will be friendly, but people have to respect intellectual property," said Creative chairman Sim Wong Hoo for the BBC News website.
Mr. Sim Wong Hoo was present in London for the launch of the new Creative Zen Vision: M, a device that is in direct competition with the Apple video capable iPod. Interestingly enough, the new Creative player bears an uncanny resemblance to the latest iPod, incidentally being about the same size and height.
Obviously, Mr. Sim denied the company had copied the design, saying it had been working on the look for more than a year. "We are focused on the technology. This is still a technology marketplace. This is the key difference between a technology company and a branding company," he said. Mr. Sim also did acknowledge that this strategy hasn't actually helped them reach the customer as he had hoped.
Apple has not made any comments but, since the way the information is displayed on the iPod is exactly the same as in iTunes, using a hierarchical Artist > Album > Song approach. and my iTunes says 'Copyright 2000-2005', Creative might have a hard time enforcing the patent, as the applicability of patents is often difficult to prove.