ebooks, patents and lawsuits

[walkitout]

A while back, a lawsuit over e-book patent infringement was filed against Amazon by Discovery something-or-other.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10198185-93.html

I haven't found out yet what happened with it.

Here's a 2010 update, in which the corporate restructuring interacted with the pre-existing lawsuit:

http://www.itproportal.com/2010/07/17/amazon-kindle-patent-lawsuit-not-new/

[ But look! More lawsuits!

http://www.intomobile.com/2009/03/24/apple-sued-for-pushing-iphone-as-ebook-reader/

http://blog.patentcalls.com/2011/08/11/inventor-of-e-book-technology-sues-amazon/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2366142,00.asp

And perhaps most interesting of all, finally a class-action against the publishers and Apple:

http://www.geekwire.com/2011/suit-claims-apple-publishers-colluded-ebook-pricing-fear-amazoncom

Geekwire is considerate enough to include a pointer to the press release and filing.
]


Recently, Liberty Media offered to buy B&N, and then wound up putting a bunch of money in and getting a couple directors on the board. Who is Liberty Media? Well, you can read the wikipedia entry as well as I can. More importantly, here's the CEO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Malone

"Malone is now the chairman of Liberty Media [2] and CEO of Discovery Holding Company."

And Discovery Holding Company bears some close but non-identical relationship to Discovery something-or-other of the patent lawsuit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Communications

Let the wild and unfounded, rampant speculation begin.

ETA: To add to the fun:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Cowboy-Malone-Modern-Business/dp/047123639X
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-Shell-Game-Assorted-Corporate/dp/0385479271

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/malone.shtm

And coverage from BEA on Amazon becoming a publisher and looking for someone to do print versions of books born digital, while Malone was trying to buy B&N.

http://www.futurebook.net/content/amazon-wants-paperback-partner-eisler-reveals-his-deal

Malone owns more land than Ted Turner -- and he's more on the forestry end of things. Not really surprising.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2011/03/10/john-malone-largest-private-landowner-in-the-u-s-speaks/