creative sues apple?

[lilrampage]

Creative Technology releases new media player patent threats

12/8/2005 2:24:47 PM, by Charles Jade

In August, Creative Technology was awarded US patent 6,928,433, or the "Zen Patent," as Creative likes to call it. The patent sounds complicated.

A method of selecting at least one track from a plurality of tracks stored in a computer-readable medium of a portable media player configured to present sequentially a first, second, and third display screen on the display of the media player, the plurality of tracks accessed according to a hierarchy, the hierarchy having a plurality of categories, subcategories, and items respectively in a first, second, and third level of the hierarchy

At that time, Craig McHugh, President of Creative Technology US subsidiary Creative Labs, lauded the efforts of Creative engineers in developing the patently obvious.

We have a research and development team of over 1,200 engineers worldwide, heavily focused on innovation, design, quality and developing products providing an exceptional user experience.

Some might say that if the best your 1,200 engineers can come up with is a method for browsing and sorting files based upon metadata, you might want to get some new engineers. Certainly, the personal technology "war" declared by Creative Technology CEO Sim Wong Hoo against Apple Computer has not gone well for the firm based upon competing personal technologies. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, on the heels of the announcement of the Zen Vision: M, the "me too" iPod 5G, came an interview with the BBC in which the patent came up.

"We will pursue all manufacturers that use the same navigation system," said Mr Sim. "This is something we will pursue aggressively. "Hopefully this will be friendly, but people have to respect intellectual property."

When asked about the striking similarity to the iPod 5G, the creative CEO said the company had been working on the Zen Vision: M for more than a year, and that it was technologically superior.

"We are focused on the technology," he said. "This is still a technology marketplace. This is the key difference between a technology company and a branding company," he said, taking a side-swipe at Apple's successful marketing campaign for its iPod.

It's a good thing Creative Technology has this patent. The myopic belief that the iPod is all advertising ensures the company will likely continue to struggle in direct competition. Of course, it's unlikely Apple Computer will allow the patent to go unchallenged, but the portents for such a legal fight are clouded. Consider the battle between Research In Motion and NTP over the Blackberry. While RIM has won at the US Patent and Trademark Office, overturning much of what NTP has been awarded, RIM has lost in court and faces an injunction that might shut down Blackberry service in the US. This latest patent dispute again highlights problems with the patent system, a system that increasingly appears to reward patent lawyers as much as it does innovation.

our own homegrown company going up against apple? :?

 

[Vaiyen]

hmm..did you see the date on this?

 

[imcorn]

hmm.. it was actually reported in wed's new paper i tink.. if the judge awards the case to creative.. tink there's gonna be a spill over effect on other's perception of singapore..

 

[detroit_red]

I hope creative stock prices dont drop ah ... I bought 8000 creative shares recently ...

 

[zysth]

hmm.. it was actually reported in wed's new paper i tink.. if the judge awards the case to creative.. tink there's gonna be a spill over effect on other's perception of singapore..

wat kind of perception? negative? well i think patent wars r so common now.. n microsoft leads the fight everywhere.. this is business.. n if creative wins the case, shareholders will :lol:

 

[crozzfire]

alamak this kind of stuff happening in SG..haiz..

 

[mero]

A method of selecting at least one track from a plurality of tracks stored in a computer-readable medium of a portable media player configured to present sequentially a first, second, and third display screen on the display of the media player, the plurality of tracks accessed according to a hierarchy, the hierarchy having a plurality of categories, subcategories, and items respectively in a first, second, and third level of the hierarchy

Lol they make it sound so complicated. Basically Creative is sueing Apple because it claims that they stole a music management design that they "came up with"

The design?

Artist > Album > Song :wink:

doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with a music selection system like that methinks......

 

[Rollercoaster]

Wow, detroitred, you're loaded! I'm jealous!

 

[subversion]

patent wars- reminds me of the Gibson vs PRS case, but they're american...

 

[Indigo_blues]

Apple is suing Creative now. :lol:

 

[Rollercoaster]

I jus couldn't forget the fact that detroit_red owns 8000 shares of creative and he's like what, going on twenty? What the hell! :lol:

 

[bongman]

you sue me, I sue you... ???

 

[gutturalpiss]

creative is having some troubles currently with customer relations..i wont b surprised if this major brand faces extinction in the nxt few years

 

[detroit_red]

I jus couldn't forget the fact that detroit_red owns 8000 shares of creative and he's like what, going on twenty? What the hell! :lol:

HAHAHA i was waiting for someone to say it ... I meant fake share money .. TP business finance project ... HAHAHA .. But feel free to let me invest for you people :lol:

 

[CrispyEgg]

whahahahaha...
i wish they still made those ipod mini's. simple and elegant.

eh but it's true, creative is superior in technology... lotsa people (local) pick creative over ipod esp when they feel the sense of "localism" or whatever u may call it...

but darn, ipod's just look sexier.

 

[imcorn]

i'd prefer ipod over creative anyday.. looks much more stylish.. haha..

and this lawsuit abt creative vs ipod.. damn.. just makes creative look petty and may actually cause a backlash on their products..

 

[DarknessFury]

Hah...Apple is now counter-suing Creative...

 

[detroit_red]

Creative share price drop like CB !! shit!!!

 

[mero]

Actually on the point of locals preferring Creative to Apple, I beg to differ. Most of those I know who bought Creative products, mp3 players specifically, were first-time buyers. Suffice to say that most of them didn't continue buying Creative products after one by one, their mp3 players ran into various problems. I myself owned a Creative player when they were still quite highly respected and successful, this was way before ipods became big in Singapore.

The methods that Creative use to keep their products cost-competitive is very questionable. My player had a defective input problem, the socket came loose after awhile, because Creative didn't spend the additional 10 cents to glue it down onto the main chipboard. My friends' (yes multiple friends) Zen Micro players had similar problems, and one of them had her player die out on her for no reason.

My take on the lawsuit? Blatant opportunism hahaha. As I said it's quite a joke to sue someone saying that the Artist > Album > Song method of music management is copied from them. I wonder who actually approved Creative's patent on that :wink:

 

[lilrampage]

even if the patent is questionable, it still exists and is therefore liable as an intellectual property. there is little doubt creative is trying to up their profit margins.

i think that creative is more successful overseas compared to here in singapore. many friends would take an ipod over a creative mp3 player any day. i know a few friends who bought a creative mp3 player not out of choice, but due to other circumstances like price and availability.

btw is apple really counter-suing creative? anyone got any news on that?