Burst.com Files Suit Against Apple

A little more than a year after reaching a $60 million settlement with Microsoft over allegedly stolen trade secrets. Burst.com has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company’s iTunes and QuickTime infringe on four of Burst’s patents.

According to the East Bay Business Times, the claims filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco are in response to a suit Apple filed against Burst in January asking that Burst’s patents be declared invalid. The settlement Microsoft reached with Burst after similar accusations—with Microsoft agreeing to pay a licensing fee of $60 million—meant that no court decision was made on the legitimacy of Burst’s patents. Burst accuses Apple’s iTunes and QuickTime of infringing on its patents, some of which date back to 1990, while Apple claims it already possessed similar technology before those patents were granted.

Prior to the filing of Apple’s lawsuit, the two companies had been in licensing negotiations. Burst co-founder and CEO Richard Lang told PBS technology pundit Richard Cringely in January that his company was willing to continue negotiations and that Apple’s suit was "an attempt to get the suit on their turf" but that he's "confident" Burst will prevail.