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News
Apple Sued for Promoting iPhone as Ebook Reader
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 6:02 PM - by Bryan Chaffin
The newest passenger on the Apple Lawsuit Express is Swiss-based MONEC Holding Ltd, a company accusing Apple of patent infringement, unfair trade practices, monopolization, and tortious interference by allowing Ebook reader applications to be distributed through the App Store. By doing so, the lawsuit alleges, Apple is violating the company's patent for an, "Electronic device, preferably an electronic book."
The lawsuit was first reported by AppleInsider, and was filed in a Virginia Federal court by MONEC. The firm is in the business of developing, "mobile, globally usable communication solutions," and the company filed for the patent on October 22, 1999. It was granted January 1st, 2002.
MONEC's device as described in the patent is for a digital book reader with a touchscreen that is capable of receiving books through a radio (wireless) signal. Through that "station for receiving and sending signals by way of a radio network [that] allows the exchange of electronic data," the device can receive, "for example, E-mails, faxes, data from the Internet or the like, which can be visualized on the display."
In the Abstract for the patent, the company said, "The display preferably provided as an LCD-display has dimensions such that with it approximately one page of a book can be illustrated at normal size, this display being integrated in a flat, frame-like housing."
Further specifics were added in the Description of the patent application, which said, "The electronic device according to the invention provides the considerable advantage that it may have a very light and easily portable construction, can be used very universally and at the same time has a relatively large display."
How well this does, or does not, apply to the iPhone is up the courts to determine, but MONEC's lawsuit claims that by allowing Ebook readers at the App Store -- AppleInsider said that specific apps were not named, but there is Amazon's Kindle for iPhone and a collection of books called Classics on the App Store now -- Apple is promoting the iPhone as a digital book reader, a concept that violates their patent.
MONEC is seeking unspecified damages and attorney fees in its suit.
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