In a world where anything can be patented and then subsequently leveraged in a lawsuit, it should come as no surprise that the lawsuit-magnet that is the iPhone has come under legal attack once again. This time, Romek Figa of Abraham & Son has filed suit in Massachusetts against Apple, claiming that “certain Apple telephones” infringe on Figa’s patent that displays the incoming phone number alongside the incoming caller’s name.
The patent outlines a method that checks the incoming phone number against the contacts stored in a device and displays the contact name when a match is found. And, it seems that the iPhone (along with every other mobile phone we’ve used recently) does indeed tread on that patent description. The iPhone displays the incoming phone number as well as the caller name (and even picture) if the incoming phone number is in the iPhone’s contact database.
Figa has apparently contacted Apple to get some sort of licensing deal down on paper, but Cupertino responded that they are not willing to make any agreement based “on the terms offered.”
The lawsuit includes a jury trial request, and if Figa is found to be in the right, Apple could be forced to stop selling the iPhone. I smell settlement.
[Via: AppleInsider]