Apple has found itself in the crosshairs of a legal skirmish with THX Ltd, a company founded by "Star Wars" producer George Lucas, which alleges it has illegally appropriated speaker technology in iPhones, iPads and iMacs.
At the heart of the issue is a 2008 THX patent for a speaker unit boosts sound output, reports Bloomberg. It is attached to computers and TVs. THX filed its lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, California, this week.
THX claims Apple stole the technology, arguing in the lawsuit that Apple products incorporating the speaker units infringe the THX patent, causing the company "monetary damage and irreparable harm," the lawsuit alleges. The complaint seeks a court order to stop the alleged infringement and a reasonable royalty, or damages to compensate THX for lost profit.
THX was founded in 2002 and was part of the famed director's Lucasfilms. The company set standards and a certification system for theater sound systems, mainly to bolster "Star Wars" movies' sound quality.
THX this year announced its first mobile app, THX tune-up. The app lets consumers adjust the performance of televisions, projectors and speakers.
It hasn't been the greatest week for Apple - thanks in large part to Samsung. Not only has its chief rival announced the Galaxy S4, but Apple was sued by a Retina MacBook Pro user, claiming the LG retina display is more shoddy than the preferred Samsung version. Both LG and Samsung are Apple suppliers.
