Apple wins iTunes interface patent

Apple Computer has won a patent for the interface of its iTunes music software, underscoring the growing importance of the multimedia business for the company.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Apple a patent for its media player software interface on May 4, along with several other features of the company's high-profile products. Other parts of the iTunes software, including the ability to stream songs over a network to another copy of the program, had been the subject of earlier patents.

Apple has been the recipient of thousands of patents, ranging--in just in the last month alone--from the iTunes software components to the swivel arm joint supporting the latest iMac's flat-panel screen.

Interface elements have been a key point of concern for the company stretching as far back as the release of the Macintosh operating system, however. The company sued Microsoft for copyright infringement after early releases of Windows proved similar in conception to the Macintosh desktop concept, which itself was predated by work done at the Xerox PARC research facility.

Apple lost that copyright case, and has since relied more heavily on patenting components of its technology, as well as its hardware designs. Early in March, for example, the federal patent office published the company's application for a patent on the interface for its popular iPod digital music player.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company does not comment on its patents or patent applications, which are public record.

While software patents have become increasingly common in the past few years--leading to long and contentious strings of litigation over seemingly basic computing techniques--not all companies are taking Apple's approach.

A RealNetworks spokesman said his company does not hold any directly comparable interface patents for its 10-year-old media player software, for example.

[rodgerson]

Real Player...Patents?

What on earth would Real patent if they wanted to? Have they
done anything innovative with interfaces or software ever? Ok,
that's a bit harsh. No. No it's not.

David

[mhoskins]

Apple...Innovation?

I think the point is that the RealPlayer is the same thing that Media Player, Winamp, XMMS, and various others are: software that plays digital media files. Apple received a patent on something that had prior art, was obvious (with a connection to a central download server), and was not at all novel for its time. The only requirement it actually does fit for a patent is that of usefulness, since it is now the best software and service of its type. Pretty much fits the bill for most of Apple's patents, and most software patents in the US, for that matter.

[smkatz]

with all due respect

They won an Editor's Choice award for an interface combining effectively a browser and a media player, in 3 panes. It also had jukebox software. No other software had all these features. It was a joy to be able to click a media link in RealOne's browser and have it load.

You can see this very effectively with Real's new Movielink deal. Download a Real formatted movie directly from RealPlayer. Store it in your library for 30 days, and play it instantly. (I think you can only play it for a day.) That's the MPAA's fault. Real has streamlined the process.