Texas MP3 Technologies, a recently formed company that appears to only exist on paper, has hit Apple, Samsung, and SanDisk with patent-infringement lawsuits. The suits were filed on Feb. 16 in Marshall, Texas, a city popular with patent enforcers because of speedy trials and juries that lean in favor of the plaintiff. Texas MP3 Technologies—which shares a street address with one of its lawyers in Marshall—alleges infringement on U.S. patent 7,065,417, which was awarded in June 2006 to multimedia chip-maker SigmaTel and covers “an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method.” SigmaTel reportedly sold the patent in August 2006 to a “Dallas-based patent licensing agency” because it said the agency would be better able to take advantage of its potential value.
LC Angell was a senior editor at iLounge. Angell is known for her work on various aspects of the Apple ecosystem, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod. In his role at iLounge, Angell was responsible for a wide range of editorial content, including reviews, buyer's guides, news, and features.