Hold the iPhone! Apple has just been sued over their camera equipped iPhone and iPods because, according to St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants, Apple's cameras infringe on its patents.
Now, before anyone starts thinking too negatively of Apple, St. Clair Consultants has quite a history of strong-arming and suing camera makers over such issues. Several companies, including Nikon, Sanyo, Samsung, and Motorola pay St. Clair Consultants licensing fees to use its patented technology instead of going to trial. St. Clair also received a $25 million settlement from Sony in 2001 and a $35 million deal from Canon in 2003 over similar issues.
So why does St. Clair Consultants go after alleged patent theft with such vigor? Simple: patent infringement cases are a major source of profit for the company.
Now that the suit has been filed, the only question is whether Apple will take the case to trial or settle out of court.
For more info:
Macworld
The dirt on St. Clair Consultants (PDF file)
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