Apple Involved in Another Patent Dispute

As Apple AAPL and Samsung continue their battle in and out of the courtroom, the Mac maker has found itself in another patent dispute. According to The Next Web, EPL Holdings has sued Apple for infringing on some of the company's patents. EPL Holdings alleges that it had met with Tony Fadell, the Nest thermostat inventor who previously served as the senior Vice President of Apple's iPod division, more than 10 years ago on January 28, 2002. EPL Holdings shared information about its technologies with Fadell, including patents for media playback that allow devices to play video and audio content at different speeds. The two companies met again on February 5, 2002 to discuss a licensing deal. According to The Next Web, Enounce (EPL Holdings' predecessor) entered into a four-year non-disclosure agreement with Apple, which offered $50,000 for the use of one patent. Enounce declined the offer, arguing that the fee was too low. EPL Holdings alleges that, despite not having a license to use Enounce's patented technologies, Apple began to use them anyway. Apple has yet to make a public statement about the lawsuit, which could end up in front of a jury if EPL Holdings has its way. This is only the latest in a long line of patent, design and copyright disputes that have plagued Apple worldwide. While the iPhone maker seems to be doing well in its legal dispute with Samsung domestically, the battle has not been going well in England. Earlier this summer, Apple paid $60 million to settle a trademark dispute with a Chinese company that claimed it owned the iPad name. Days after that lawsuit was settled, two more Chinese lawsuits cropped up, raising questions about the company's plans to sell its products in China. Despite these and other lawsuits (and the enormous expense associated with them), investors have not been deterred. Apple achieved a new year-to-date high yesterday when it closed at $636.34. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ