iLounge

Apple started a trial as a defendant on Tuesday, as Multimedia Patent Trust — a subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent — is suing the company for alleged infringement of three video-compression technology patents. Bloomberg reports that multiple versions of the iPod, iPad, iPhone, and MacBook are targeted in the trial, which stems from a 2010 lawsuit against Apple and LG Electronics. Multimedia Patent Trust won a 2007 case against Microsoft for $1.5 billion, but the jury verdict was later overturned, and the two companies settled in January. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff said the trial could take about two weeks.

Apple has also been granted 36 new patents, according to a recent Patently Apple report. Included are patents for the Siri microphone icon, sports equipment writing data to a portable media player — which includes uploading workout data to a computer or website—as well as enhanced echo cancellation, audio status information for a portable media device, and a cavity antenna for an electronic device, among many others.