SanDisk launches ‘Made for Sansa’ program; Players seized at IFA show

SanDisk has announced that several companies will be making accessories for its line of Sansa digital media players under a new “Made for Sansa” licensing program—an obvious imitation of Apple’s “Made for iPod” program. Among SanDisk’s first seven accessory partners are six well-known iPod accessory makers: Altec Lansing, DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters), Griffin Technology, HandStands, Macally Peripherals, and Speck Products.
Interestingly, the “Made for Sansa” announcement was made at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, where German officials seized Sansa players and accessories from SanDisk’s booth after Italian patents firm Sisvel won an injunction against the company. SanDisk is reportedly refusing to pay Sisvel for a license to use the company’s MPEG technology for playback of MP3 files. According to Sisvel, some 600 companies have paid to license its technology, including Apple and Creative Technology.