Japan fines Apple for patent infringement

The Tokyo District Court Thursday ordered Apple, Inc. to pay 330 million yen (about $3.35 million) in damages to Japanese inventor Norihiko Saito for patent infringement involving iPod music player.

The patent that Saito's company applied for in 1998 covers a technology for the click wheel controller that Apple has used for its iPod player in Japan since 2004, Xinhua cited Japan's Kyodo News as quoting the presiding judge in a ruling.

The damage amount was based on the volume of past sales and is far less than 10 billion yen ($101.56 billion) claimed by Saito.

Saito filed an application with Tokyo Customs for an injunction against iPod imports for the patent infringement in 2007, said the report.

The US company then filed a suit seeking to confirm the absence of a patent infringement, while Saito launched a counter-suit initially asking for 100 million yen (1.02 million dollars) in damages.