EMG Adds iPad to Suit
The Bauminator Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading 4/5/2010
2:45 PM -- EMG Technology LLC has added the iPad to its patent complaint against Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), taking aim at Steve Jobs's fancy computer tablet the first business day after its much-anticipated launch on Saturday. (See EMG Suit Targets Apple iPad.)
EMG filed its original complaint against Apple and its iPhone in 2008 for "the way the iPhone navigates the Internet." That trial remains pending in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, and, according to EMG, is set to begin on Sept. 12, 2011.
EMG's complaint centers on US Patent No. 7,441,196, which describes an "apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling Internet content." More specifically, the patent, which includes 76 claims, covers the reformatting of content from an HTML Web page into a newly generated extensible markup language (XML)-based "sister site" for display on a wide range of devices, including phones, TVs, and any "console device."
EMG claims that Apple has refused to pay it "reasonable royalties" tied for the patent, which was filed in 1999. EMG, which was not immediately available for comment and doesn't even have a Website that we can find, is seeking undisclosed damages.
"EMG will take steps to add Apple's newly released iPad to the range of Apple products already accused of patent infringement in the case, including the iTunes Store, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV," Shawn Hansen, an attorney with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, the firm that's representing EMG in the case, said in a statement.
Taiwanese chipmaker Elan Microelectronics went after the iPad last week, alleging that the new device (along with the iPhone and iPod Touch) infringes on its touchscreen-related technology patents.
Apple was not immediately available for comment.
The initial, WiFi-only Apple iPad went on sale Saturday. 3G-capable models are set to arrive later this month. (See The iPad Has Landed and The iPad: a Threat to Flash's Video Dominance? )
Apple announced that it sold more than 300,000 of its computer tablets in the US on the first day, with some analysts predicting that sales will exceed 3 million units by the end of this year. (See 300K iPads Sold on Launch Day.)
— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable
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