Apple, Samsung, Sandisk sued over MP3

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The suit, which came to light over the weekend, was filed on 16 February in Marshall, Texas.

The eastern Texas city is fast becoming one of the leading locations of patent infringement lawsuits in the US thanks to speedy trials and juries that more often than not find in favour of the plaintiff. Texas MP3 Technologies owns a US Patent 7,065,417, awarded in June 2006 and covers an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG Method. They were originally owned by SigmaTel, who later sold to a Dallas-based patent licensing agency. You can see the original patent here.

SigmaTel said that it sold the patent to this agency because they thought they will take full advantage of the patent. However, it retains international rights to the patent and all the customers of theirs will not be affected by Texas MP3 Technologies lawsuit.

Texas MP3 is located in Marshall, Texas, in the complaint and is requesting a Jury trial.

It is a puzzle they will reward such a patent when the technology is being used for a number of years, either these companies must have taken granted for such technology and SigmaTel/Texas MP3 Technologies are just taking advantage that no one holds that patent.

More news will follow about this case.