Apple Hit with Predictive Text Patent Suit

November 14th, 2007 at 2:00 PM - News by Jeff Gamet

Autotext Technologies filed a lawsuit against Apple and several other companies claiming they are infringing on its patent covering predictive word processing in applications and devices, according to BetaNews.

Autotextis "computer-based transcription" patent describes a process where a list of words is presented based on the letters a user is typing. Mac OS X 10.4 and Safari along with IBMis Lotus Notes, Eudora 7.1 from Qualcomm, The Sony PS3, and the Nintendo Wii are listed in the case, as are devices from several other companies.

The other companies named in the suit include AT&T, Helio, Hewlett-Packard, HTC America, Kyocera, LG Electronics USA, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Nuance Communications, Palm, Research In Motion, Samsung America, Sanyo North America, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Zi Corporation.

Autotext Technologies is a subsidiary of Acacia Research -- a company develops, acquires, licenses and enforces patents. The predictive typing patent infringement case was filed on November 9 in Cleveland office of the Ohio Northern District Court.

Apple has not commented on the case.