Kindle May Be Headed for Court

The outfit that powers Discovery Channel has slapped a patent infringement suit against Amazon. They say the Kindle device violates a patent they registered in 1999. Arts Technica has the story:

Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader was introduced to the world back in November 2007. Most people would be forgiven, however, for thinking that the device’s legal problems only started with the 2.0 version of the device, which has gotten Amazon in hot water with the Authors Guild, and prompted the company to lash out at those who attempted to put unsanctioned content onto its hardware.

But, as it turns out, Amazon’s biggest legal worries may have begun in the very month that the device was first introduced. That's when a patent that anticipates most of the Kindle’s major features was granted to someone else. That someone else, Discovery Communications, has now filed suit against Amazon for patent infringement.

John Timmer’s take for Arts Technica is here.