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Wonder if Microsoft is next on the list.....Payback for Zune could be a bitch.....

Creative will become even more opportunistic. iPod stuff will bring them cash. M$ a rash.

"Lucky for Creative" means the patent should never have been granted in the first place, but it's has a double meaning; in that, without it, Creative was toast. But, hey, now Creative saves their a$$ and gets a new business model selling iPod accecories, while the Zend will just go away. In one master stroke Apple removes any cloud of doubt about the iPod, elimenates it's biggest competitor, gets paid if Creative succeeds in suing others, and gets a new partner to help sell iPods!! All for a mere 100 million. And let's not forget, that the next so called iPod killer will be made by Micrsofot. And as Microsoft bungles this along with Vista, it will only serve to bring Apple's superiority into even sharper relief. Apple can't loose!

Apple can't lose, either.

MadMac is otherwise correct. Brilliant move by Apple's legal team.

'Creative' Strategies?

"Brilliant move by Apple's legal team."

You mean to cover their assets? Remember, AAPL didn't patent basic iPod feature/function so they had to do a deal with the Creative.

Actually, this is less about Creative suing companies like MS for a Zune license, cause they'll never sell enough Zunes to make a dent. Think about it, Apple sold about 50 million iPods and has paid $100M for a license, or about $2 an iPod.

The key, is that Creative can now sue cellphone mfrs like Nokia, Sony/Ericcson, Samsung and Motorola who sell many more music-capable phones that also use this heirarchical menu system.

100MillionDollars

I wonder what the creative artists are thinking as this level of money is moving around. Artists don't get squat. Well at least the good ones do it for love - they got that.

What's with all the whining on behalf of artists? Artists make plenty of money--at least the successful ones do.

So they are still going to make the Zen - I wonder how much longer that will last. Let the odds makers start now...

This settlement also opens the door for Creative to sue other MP3 making companies, like Mafia$oft!

Hmmmm?? Just a thought.

If Apple decided to settle for two reasons.
1-- To save a long and involved law suit with one quick blow.

2-- Since Apple settled, does that mean that the other mp3 makers that use a menu will now HAVE to pay Creative and possibly much more money. And since they dont have such a large part of the market, they will be harder pressed to pay the money.???? And since Microsofts Zune uses a similar menu set up, could MS be forced to pay big bucks -- just to get srarted out of the gate???

All because Apple decided to pay??? Maybe there is a method to this maddness.??

N.

Lobsang Singsong,

And just how much money did the artists get from the billions of radios that have been sold. How about the millions of record players, cassette players or the millions of CD players.

I do understand, however, that they did get a buck apiece from the few hundred 8-track players.

What I'd like to know is, due to this agreement will Creative be able to make it's Zen players compatible with iPod accessories? Will the new Zen come with an iPod compatible dock? Wanna kill off the Zune and SanDisk, they'd be dead in the water if Creative players could use iPod accessories.