Discovery takes on Amazon with patent infringement suit

Discovery, in the suit filed in a US District Court in Delaware, claimed Amazon violated a patent it registered in November 2007, and said the Kindle infringes Discovery's intellectual property rights.

It should be "entitled to fair compensation", the company said.

Amazon declined a request from AFP to comment on the suit.

Discovery said Kindle violates its development of a digital rights management scheme - the way Amazon protects the books it sells for the handheld product.

By filing the suit, Discovery - which has 1.5 million subscribers to its Discovery Network and Animal Planet, among other channels - is not aiming to halt Amazon from selling the Kindle, but to collect damages and royalties.

Discovery and founder John Hendricks were "significant players in the development of digital content and delivery services", the company said.

"Hendricks' work included inventions of a secure, encrypted system for the selection, transmission, and sale of electronic books."

The Seattle-based Amazon released the second version of the Kindle last month, available through Amazon.com for US$359. Its previous model was released in November 2007.

Kindle 2 has two gigabytes of memory, allowing it to hold more than 1500 books, compared with 200 for the original Kindle.

"Legal action is not something Discovery takes lightly," said Discovery's general counsel, Joseph LaSala Jr.

"The Kindle and Kindle 2 are important and popular content delivery systems ... We believe they infringe our intellectual property rights, and that we are entitled to fair compensation.

"Our tradition as an inventive company has produced considerable intellectual property assets for our shareholders, and today's infringement litigation is part of our effort to protect and defend those assets."

Source: AFP

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