Apple faces patent suit over caller ID

It’s time for yet another iPhone lawsuit, this time from my grand old home state of Massachusetts. An electronics consultant by the name of Romek Figa claims to hold a patent which the iPhone infringes upon—namely, the display of caller ID information. The patent was granted wayyyyy back when in 1990, when the iPhone was nary even a glimmer in the eye of Steve Jobs, but it’s been licensed by other industry heavyweights, like Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung.

Figa sent a letter directly to Steve Jobs about a month before the release of the iPhone, but Apple apparently refused to agree to the proposed terms, which haven’t been publicly disclosed. Now, Figa’s seeking monetary damages—which they’ve asked be increased threefold because of Apple’s “willful and deliberate” infringement.

My guess? Apple will likely settle out of court with Figa, to avoid having to go through a costly legal battle. In the end, it’ll probably be cheaper for them, and no doubt, they’d like to avoid the publicity.

[via Engadget]

Category: News

Posted by Dan Moren on Feb 28 2008, 1:17 PM ET

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