Creative Technology, once the company that vowed to dethrone Apple’s iPod, is voluntarily de-listing from the NASDAQ stock exchange. The company’s last day of trading will be August 1, but will remain listed with the Singapore-based SGX-ST stock exchange.

In a prepared statement, the company said "With the potential to substantially reduce administrative overhead and costs while retaining its listing on the SGX-ST (which is also accessible to U.S. shareholders), the Directors of Creative believe it to be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders for Creative to take the steps to seek to de-list from NASDAQ and terminate its U.S. reporting obligations while maintaining its SGX-ST listing."

According to Creative’s own numbers, the company’s stock is trading on the NASDAQ at a very low rate, and represents only about ten percent of its average worldwide daily trading volume. Creative representatives added "The administrative overhead and cost of the evolving and increasingly burdensome U.S. reporting obligations has become significant, especially for Creative, a Singapore company with dual primary listings."

Apple settled a lawsuit with Creative in 2006 where the Singapore-based company alleged that Apple was infringing on its MP3 player interface patents. Apple agreed to pay the company US$100 million in licensing fees as part of the deal.

At the same time, Creative announced that it would start making iPod-compatible accessories. Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative, commented "We’re very pleased to have reached an amicable settlement with Apple and to have opened up significant new opportunities for Creative."

Those opportunities don’t seem, however, to include continued NASDAQ listing.