Taiwan chip designer Elan Microelectronics has posted a release on its Web site that states the company has filed a suit against Apple alleging that Apple infringed two patents held by Elan in the production of its MacBook, iPhone and iPod Touch products.
Elan makes touch pads for computers and said it owns the rights to touchscreen technology that allowed Apple's products to detect finger position on screens.
The release states that “the present lawsuit is filed after repeated licensing negotiations over a significant period of time that failed to result in any agreement between Elan and Apple. The suit also represents a continuation of Elan's determination to protect and enforce its intellectual property rights.”
According to the release, Elan settled the lawsuit it brought against Synpatics late last year over infringement. That settlement was reached after a district court in California found that certain Synaptics touch pads included multi-finger detection methods which infringed on Elan’s patent.
Elan said it would be seeking an injunction that would forbid Apple to produce, use and sell products that had infringed on its patents.
The suit comes amid an ongoing drama between Apple and Palm that began in January.
In an earnings call, when acting Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about competition from Palm’s Pre, he told analysts that "We will not stand for people ripping off our IP."
Analysts have been speculating that Apple will file suit against Palm upon the official release of the Palm Pre.