COPYCENSE

“Sim Wong Hoo’s strategy was simple and bold: Attack Apple Computer’s iPod business by competing on price, features, and flexibility — without the need to be tied down to Apple’s iTunes Music Store for songs purchased online.

“His Singapore-based Creative Technology produces digital music and media players that in a straight, feature-by-feature comparison are arguably better than the iPod. The problem is, it doesn’t sell that many. Creative is losing money, in part because of unsold inventory of MP3 players. Meanwhile its stock is down more than 63%, from a high of $15.82 in January, 2005.

“So what does Creative do to fight back? It’s suing Apple in a U.S. court over a patent that it says Apple’s player infringes.”

Arik Hesseldahl. Creative Technology Takes on Apple. BusinessWeek Online. May 17, 2006.

See also:

Simon Aughton. Creative’s Apple Suit Deemed Desperate. PCPro. May 17, 2006.

BBC News. Creative Wins MP3 Player Patent. May 30, 2005.

CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.