E-Book Wars: Apple Sued For iPhone Reading Apps

First reported by various Apple blogs Monday, Monec filed suit in the District Court for Eastern Virginia Monday and in its filing lists 23 qualities of the iPhone that it says constitute "patent infringement, unfair trade practices, monopolization and torturous interference for allegedly treating its January 2002 patent No. 6,335,678 titled 'Electronic device, preferably an electronic book.' "

In the court filing, Monec ticks off iPhone characteristics such as its rechargeable lithium-ion battery and 3.5-inch multitouch display, and requests damages, royalties and attorneys fees for what it says is Apple "making, selling and/or offering for sale one or more of its products and services."

According to its Web site, Monec is a nine-year-old company based in Berne, Switzerland, that specializes in "the growth market of mobile communications systems."

Although Monec is suing only Apple, and not Amazon, the suit is the latest in a series of legal twists since the advent of Amazon's second Kindle and the release of its Kindle app for iPhone two weeks ago.

Amazon, meanwhile, has been sued by Discovery Communications over alleged violation of a Discovery electronic book patent.

While the Kindle and the Kindle app for iPhone continue to dominate the e-book conversation, there are plenty of other devices and applications out there. Amazon retailing competitor Barnes & Noble is also getting in the game; Barnes & Noble bought Fictionwise earlier this month and on Tuesday said it would launch a free e-reader application for Research In Motion's BlackBerry.