Apple faces off against another patent troll over iMovie application

NPE Patent Harbor files infringement suit against Apple.

As one of the largest and most profitable companies in the technology space, there is little surprise that Apple is such a popular target for non-practicing entities (NPEs) or, as they are sometimes known, patent trolls.

Apple has faced a number of patent infringement suits from NPEs, so the latest should come as no surprise. This most recent case involves Patent Harbor LLC, an NPE that holds patents that relate to an “apparatus and method for assembling content addressable video.” The company filed a lawsuit stating that Apple’s iMovie application infringed on this patent.

Patent Harbor claims that the iMovie software, which can be used on a number of devices, including the MacBook computers, and iMac devices, uses a method for creating and using tags to label, store and assemble video content that infringes on its patents. In its filing, Patent Harbor said that the “iMovie application allows a user of the computer to take pre-recorded video and create a title or chapter list (similar to the scene selection menu provided on a commercial DVD/BD disc), where the title or chapter menu has a description (pictorial or written) of the video that will be accessed if the viewing user selects a particular title or chapter from the scene selection menu.”

According to WallStreetCheatSheet.com, Patent Harbor is a textbook example of a troll, as it exists as a company with only two employees and does not make any products, instead focusing on generating revenue through licensing or patent enforcement. Patent Harbor is seeking compensatory damages in the form of a reasonable royalty as well as future royalties.

Source: insidecounsel