Well, if you haven’t heard, Creative has filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that it violated U.S. Patent 6,928,433 which Creative calls the “Zen” Patent. Creative claims that Apple has used the user interface common in the Creative Zen and Nomad players.

Creative claims that Apple’s iPod, iPod Nano and iPod Mini all violate the Patent. They also allege that the sale of the iPod in the US is violating the patent as well. Apple has made millions of the popular players.

Well the International Trade Commission (ITC) has announced that it will investigate this matter further. Creative wants the ITC to issue a permanent exclusion order and permanent cease and desist order.

The ITC’s decision doesn’t meant that Apple is guilty of violating the patent, but simply means that the ITC will be investigating the matter. The Honorable Paul J. Luckern has been assigned to the case and it could be 5-8 months before they are in court and 12-15 months before an decision is handed down.

Creative has also claimed that many mp3 players today are in violation of the “Zen” Patent and if Creative is successful with Apple, I think they might very well go after everyone and anyone in violation.

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