Several Lawsuits Take Aim at Apple

By NewsFactor Network | January 2, 2007

Although Apple enjoyed one of its best years on record, the computer and electronics maker ended 2006 on rocky legal footing, culminating with several lawsuits that are sure to keep Apple’s legal eagles busy this year.

The latest legal wrangling for the company includes a suit claiming that Apple has created an illegal monopoly by tightly linking the iTunes store to the iPod.

According to news reports, the case, filed on July 21, concerns Apple’s use of a copy-protection system that prevents iTunes music and video from easily being transferred to non-iPod media players.

The suit also claims that Apple’s iPods do not easily play songs purchased from music stores other than iTunes. On December 20, a judge denied Apple’s request to dismiss the case, according to an Associated Press report.

Bite of Apple

Another lawsuit was brought against Apple by PhatRat, a technology firm focusing on sports performance. According to news reports, PhatRat claims the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, developed jointly by Apple and Nike to allow athletes to keep track of distance and speed, was ripped off from its own speedRat product.

The Nike+iPod Sport Kit, which costs $29, comes in two parts: a chip that slips into the shoe and a receiver that fits into an iPod.

The mounting number of lawsuits against Apple has not been limited to iTunes and the ubiquitous iPod, which reportedly sold well over the holidays. (According to the Web analytics firm Hitwise, four times as many people visited Apple’s iTunes store this holiday season compared to last year.)

Another lawsuit has alleged that the motherboards in Apple’s iBook G4 laptops fail at an intolerably high rate.

More Trouble

Apple also had a rough week leading up to the New Year holiday, as company executives waited until the last possible moment to file financial statements after a stock-options probe involved Chief…

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