Message: Apple Sued for Clickwheel Technology Infringement
Apple Sued for Clickwheel Technology Infringement
By Jeff Gamet
The Mac Observer
01/22/07 11:14 AM PT
In a case filed in late 2005 but only coming to light now, Quantum Research Group is claiming the iPod maker infringed on their capacitive sensing technology in building the iPod's clickwheel, which is used to navigate the digital music player's interface. Apple filed counterclaims for non-infringement and invalidity.
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Quantum Research Group has filed a lawsuit against Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) 
claiming that the iPod maker is infringing on a capacitive sensing technology patent it owns.
The case was filed in December 2005, but Electronics Weekly reports that both Quantum Research and Apple have kept the case under wraps until now.
The patent in question describes a way of using capacitive sensing to tell when and where a surface is being touched. Quantum Research CEO Hal Phillipp commented, "We are suing Apple over charge-transfer technology in iPods. Some are based on Cypress' PSoC chip and used in a way we believe infringes our patent."
Apple filed counterclaims for noninfringement and invalidity in July 2006, and also recently filed an answer "denying all material allegations and asserting numerous affirmative defenses."
Phillipp said that settlement negotiations are ongoing, but that he expects the case to go to trial later in 2007.
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