Microsoft, Apple Both Targeted in Patent Lawsuit
An Israeli company is suing both Microsoft and Apple for patent infringement.
Reuters reports that Israeli technology group, Emblaze, have accused Microsoft and Apple of infringing its U.S. patent for media streaming technology.
On Wednesday, Emblaze, which owns Magic Software and Matrix IT, announced that Microsoft's IIS Smooth Streaming system and Apple's HTTP Live Streaming Application infringed upon one of its patents. Emblaze said it notified Apple and Microsoft; the two company's have until March 15 to respond.
Unlike a lot of smaller companies crying patent infringement and demanding boat-loads of money in damages. Emblaze is taking the more subtle method of offering to license the software to the two companies.
"While we are happy to license our technology to third parties, we will vigorously defend our rights and our competitive position," Emblaze Chairman Naftali Shani told Reuters.
Microsoft's Smooth Streaming is used in Silverlight while Apple's Live Streaming application is present on OSX, the iPhone and the iPod touch.
Read more here.
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Another one... jesus it never ends does it?
Nope but atleast they have popped up now and not in 5years time wanting a boat loads of cash. but now much they want for the license is another matter.
Competitive position? What competitive position? Never heard of them before this.
What products have they released? What products license their technology? How do they know Microsoft and Apple infringe patents? Did they reverse-engineer those systems and say "ah yes look - that's ours"?
This is why it's a very stupid idea to patent software technologies - there's 1001 ways to achieve the same thing. It's not like Microsoft or Apple directly stole proprietary code or tech and used it (like they have done before).