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If you’re not familiar with the underlying situation here, get ready for a big head ache.  The story starts about four months ago when Creative filed suit against Apple for violating their patent protecting hierarchical menu system for portable media players.  Then, Apple counter-sued Creative.  Then Apple filed another separate suit against Creative regarding data display and entry on DAP.  Well, after all of that confusion, it has come to an end.  Apple announced today that they will be paying out $100,000,000 US (you’re seeing it right, that’s millions) to Creative to license the hierarchical menu patent.  Conveniently, Engadget is reporting that this is the exact amount Creative was planning to spend on advertising against the iPod in 2005.

Not only did they jack $100m from Apple, as weird as it sounds they just became members of the Made for iPod program.  Does this mean they’re jumping ship and will begin making iPod accessories instead?  Whatever they’re doing, they’ve announced plans to ship iPod accessories by the end of the year.

Read [Yahoo News]

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