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Apple Inc. (AAPL) was accused by THX Ltd., a company founded by “Star Wars” producer George Lucas, of stealing speaker technology used in iPhones, iPads and iMac products.
THX holds a 2008 patent for a speaker unit that can boost sound output and attach to computers or flat-screen televisions, according to a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in San Jose, California.
Apple products that incorporate the speaker units infringe the THX patent, causing the company “monetary damage and irreparable harm,” according to the lawsuit. The complaint seeks a court order to stop the alleged infringement and a reasonable royalty, or damages to compensate THX for lost profit.
THX, founded in 2002, drew its name from Lucas’s first film, THX 1138, according to Wookieepedia, a website about “Star Wars.”
Once part of Lucasfilms, THX created a set of standards and a certification system for theater sound systems to ensure the sound quality of “Star Wars” movies could be reproduced for moviegoers, according to the company’s website.
This year, San Rafael, California-based THX announced its first mobile application, THX tune-up, available in Apple’s iTunes App Store, according to a Jan. 29 statement from THX. The app allows consumers to use an Apple device with the iOS operating system to adjust the performance of televisions, projectors and speakers, according to the statement.
Marika Knapp, a spokeswoman for THX, said in an e-mail that the company doesn’t comment on pending legal matters.
Colleen Patterson, spokeswoman for Cupertino, California- based Apple, declined to comment on the complaint. (Bloomberg)
<한글 기사>
'스타워즈' 감독 "애플이 특허 침해했다"
애플이 영화 '스타워즈'를 맡았던 조지 루커스 감독이 만든 음향관련 회사인 THX로부터 스피커 기술 도용 혐의로 제소됐다고 블룸버그가 16일 보도했다.
미국 캘리포니아 북부 연방법원에 제출된 소장에 의하면 THX는 스피커의 음향 출력을 높이고 컴퓨터나 평면TV에 스피커를 부착하는 것 등과 관련한 특허를 2008년 부터 보유하고 있다.
THX는 소장에서 애플이 아이폰, 아이패드, 아이맥 등 관련 제품에 스피커 기술 을 도용해 경제적 손실은 물론 회복할 수 없는 손해를 입었다며 THX의 이익 손실 보상이나 기술특허 사용료를 지급하도록 법원이 명령을 내려달라고 주장했다.
2002년 설립된 THX는 루커스 감독의 첫 번째 영화인 `THX 1138'에서 그 이름을 따왔다. THX는 영화 스타워즈를 지원하면서 소리의 품질을 보장해주는 극장 음향시 스템과 관련한 일련의 표준과 인증시스템을 갖췄다.
