Creative calls into question the smartphone manufacturers for a multimedia interface

An interface introduced by Creative in 2005 is the basis of a legal dispute which is between on the one hand and on the other Creative various companies engaged in the smartphone sector, among which include Blackberry, HTC, Motorola, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Sony and ZTE.

Fact of the matter is the use by the latter producers of smartphone solutions of an interface for playing audio files that violates the patent filed by Creative in 2005, it introduced initially with reference to Zen MP3 solutions company in Singapore. The patent specifies that the navigation interface and selection of the digital media content is hierarchical.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is performing a task of investigation on the complaint of Creative; it is possible that this could lead to an agreement between the parties, so as to avoid the risk of smartphone products of the companies mentioned above may in some way be the subject of a marketing block.

Creative had taken legal action against Apple in 2006 by force right on the interface Zen patent. Apple had been considered guilty of violating the intellectual property of Creative with its MP3 player menus of iPod series, coming to close the matter by paying $ 100 million at the end of 2006 so as to obtain a license to use the interface.

It 'possible that the demand for Creative will lead to an agreement between the parties to a license, but it is unclear at the moment how companies are moving. The terms of the ITC to complete the verification operation are 45 days, so over the next few weeks we will know the evolution of the situation.