SanDisk displays music players on last day of IFA

8 September 2006 10:47 GMT / By Amber Maitland

After the somewhat unexpected seizure of SanDisk’s MP3 players at IFA, the company’s stand was left looking somewhat forlorn. However, SanDisk’s lawyers managed to get the seizure order overturned so that the players could be displayed just in time for the last day of the show.

The players were originally removed from the stand because of a complaint by Italian company Sisvel, who claim that SanDisk violates its MP3 technology patents, and should be paying the same licensing fee that other MP3-player-producing manufacturers, like Apple, Sony, and Toshiba, have ponied up.

SanDisk was one of 19 companies who had their products seized by German Customs officials for patent violations.

Sisvel has responded to the overturned seizure order by appealing it; it’s just the latest in a spate of legislation by the company against SanDisk, as it has filed suit in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and two US states, all with the same complaint.

Sisvel maintains if a device can play MP3 files, the company that makes the device has to pay a licensing fee.

SanDisk said in a statement that its MP3 players operate on a different technology to Sisvel’s, and that “one of the founders of MP3 digital audio compression” supports its position.

Via Cnet News.com

Full tags

Audio, MP3 players, SanDisk