The trial date for Apple Computer Inc’s legal battle with imaging technology company Imatec Ltd has been set for February 13, in the US District Court for the Southern District, New York. Imatec Ltd filed the $1.1bn patent infringement suit last March (CI No 3,376), claiming that Apple had infringed on three of its patents within its ColorSync color management system, which corrects tone and color in computerized generated images. Apple responded by saying it licensed patents and used other techniques publicly available before the filing of the Imatec patents in 1993. These include patents from Heidelberg Prepress, part of the world’s largest print systems manufacturer, which owns the LinoColor techniques for calibration of color and luminance between images displayed on a video monitor and hardcopy printed images, through its acquisition of Rudolf Hell Gmbh. Apple’s ColorSync works by calibrating and matching colors independently of the device it is installed on. It has been endorsed by Adobe Systems Inc, and will probably initially have most impact in the publishing and web fields. The Imatec patents are issued to the company’s CEO, Hanoch Shalit, who is seeking an injunction against Apple that would seriously impact their business. Imatec’s technology has been licensed to firms in the medical imaging, graphic arts and cinematography arenas.
