iPhone targeted by eBook patent violation lawsuit

by Stevie Smith - Mar 25 2009, 16:45

With Amazon’s Kindle electronic book reader presently being targeted in the courts for alleged patent violation, Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch handsets have also been similarly placed within the legal crosshairs thanks to a Swiss technology company.

More pointedly, Berne-based Monec Ltd is claiming Apple Inc. is guilty of knowingly infringing on a touch-screen electronic book reader concept it says it securely patented more than seven years ago, reports Apple Insider.

The company has this week filed a seven-page complaint with a Virginia court, in which it accuses Apple of engaging in unfair trading practices and market monopolisation by violating patent 6,335,678, which is recorded as “Electronic device, preferably an electronic book.”

According to Monec’s complaint, the recent release of mobile electronic book reader software through the iPhone’s App Store is an official admission by Apple that its touch-screen smartphone also doubles as a portable eBook reader.

As a result of the availability of applications such as Kindle and Classics on the iPhone, Monec asserts that Apple has infringed on its patent for a lightweight electronic device equipped with a touch-screen display capable of conveying single book pages within a flat, framed housing.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, is requesting that the court award Monec unspecified financial compensation reflecting damages sustained by its property and business. It is also seeking an injunction that will prevent Apple from any further violation.

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