Apple facing iTunes patent claim

Apple has been sued in a patent lawsuit surrounding video streaming services used in its iTunes software and mobile operating systems.

OpenTV, a subsidiary of media company the Kudelski Group, filed the claim on May 5.

The media company has alleged that Apple infringed five US patents covering technology used to access and store films and videos on devices including iPhones and laptops.

According to the complaint, OpenTV said Apple’s recent success from its “vast line” of products and services has come years after core technologies used in them were developed by others, including OpenTV.

OpenTV also claimed Apple should have been aware of the patents asserted in the case because Apple is “active” in the intellectual property market, regularly buying and selling patents.

The lawsuit follows a recent claim filed by licensing company Smartflash that said Apple’s iTunes software “wilfully” infringed three of its patents.