Apple faces patent lawsuits

Two companies have filed separate lawsuits against Apple, claiming it has violated patents related to the iPod and the iTunes music store.

According to NewsFactorNetwork, Advanced Audio Devices is alleging the iPod digital music device infringes on one of the company`s patents covering a "music jukebox", while Pat-rights has filed a suit focusing on Apple`s digital rights management (DRM) technology, claiming the company is violating its patent.

Advanced Audio Devices filed its patent in August 2000 for a method of storing a music library in a digital format. The company did try to settle its claim with Apple in December, according to news reports, but Apple rebuffed the attempt.

Pat-rights was granted its patent in December 2003, with a filing that describes a technique for protecting software from unauthorised use.

Pat-rights president Peter Chung says Apple`s DRM technology - called Fairplay - is not patented, adding that Apple had not sought patent rights because it knew the patent belonged to someone else.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates yesterday promoted the company`s new business software designed to improve virtual meetings, promising a boost in office productivity and a reduction in corporate travel expenses.

The software giant will debut three products over the next several months as part of its emphasis on "real-time collaboration", reports AP.

Gates says the software allows users to write messages in chat groups, watch real-time videos at computer terminals, get phone messages delivered by e-mail, edit Word documents, present PowerPoint displays, examine spreadsheets and conduct online polls in real-time with more than 1 000 other people around the world.

A threat centre devoted to analysing instant messaging (IM) attacks says computer threats have exploded in 2005, increasing at a rate of 50% per month.

IMlogic Threat Centre CTO Jon Sakoda says three more worms targeting Microsoft`s MSN Messenger appeared yesterday. "IM viruses and worms are growing exponentially."

The threat centre - a co-ordinated effort by several vendors, including IMlogic, McAfee, Symantec and Sybari Software - has warned of more than 30 widespread incidents of IM or P2P viruses, worms, or other malicious code so far in 2005, the bulk of which - 81% - were aimed at instant messengers.

Seven out of 10 attacks targeted MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger and the MSN IM network, while Yahoo and AOL have been targeted for 18% and 12% of the attacks, respectively.