Apple sued over iPhone web browser

Start-up EMG Technology has filed a patent technology lawsuit against Apple, claiming the computing giant infringed on its intellectual property rights in developing the iPhone mobile web browser. The suit--filed on EMG's behalf by law firm Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in the Tyler Division--seeks unspecified damages against Apple, claiming infringement on U.S. Patent No. 7,441,196.

According to JMBM, EMG Managing Member Elliot Gottfurcht is one of the named inventors of five U.S. patents for navigating the Internet via mobile devices and IPTV; issued on Oct. 21, 2008, Patent No. 7,441,196 includes 76 claims supported by specifications filed in 1999 by Mr. Gottfurcht and others. In a prepared statement, JMBM partner Stanley Gibson said "The '196 patent claims cover the display of Internet content reformatted from HTML to XML on mobile devices--the industry standard currently displayed by the iPhone. Additional patent claims include the technology for manipulating a region of the screen for zooming and scrolling."

Given that the iPhone is not the only mobile device that accesses the web, it seems reasonable to ask why the EMG lawsuit does not target other handset manufacturers. Reuters posed the question to Gibson, who said the iPhone is the only device the firm looked at: "Obviously, it's very popular," he added.

For more on the Apple patent suit:
- read this release

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