THX sues Apple over iMac, iPhone speaker systems
Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller reveals the company’s new iMac computer on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California.
Apple faces another public court battle with an industry heavyweight after the George Lucas-spawned THX accused the iPhone maker of copyright infringement.
According to Bloomberg, THX filed the suit on Thursday in San Jose regarding speaker technology.
THX, bought by Disney last year as part of a $4-billion Star Wars sale, said Apple is causing “monetary damage and irreparable harm.”
Neither THX nor Apple representatives would comment, Bloomberg said.
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The technology in question springs from a 2008 THX patent that gives flat screens a sound boost, CNET reported.
The “Narrow Profile Speaker Configurations and Systems” allow for better sound on products like flat-screen televisions, tablets and smart phones.
With electronics getting thinner, companies must find increasingly innovative methods of boosting their audio.
Apple Insider reported that THX is accusing the Cupertino, Calif., electronics giant of using its patents on newer iPhone 4S, iPad and iMac models.
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