Microsoft beats Apple, files iPod patents
There are likely some red faces at Apple Computer.
Apple took too long to file a patent on part of its blockbuster iPod music players, so Microsoft jumped in and beat Apple to it.
Tech pundits are snickering at the prospect of Apple having to pay Bill Gates big royalties on the hugely popular iPods, which account for more than a third of Apple’s revenue.
On Tuesday, technology lawyer John Ferrell said Apple still has a lot of options, and this isn’t a knockout blow. He said Apple could file a declaration stating it invented the technology before Microsoft filed its patent request.
The company could also alter the patent claims so they don’t overlap Microsoft’s. Ferrell estimates it could be at least another six months before it’s all sorted out.
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