Apple Sued for Web Surfing Patent Infringement

EMG Managing Member Elliot Gottfurcht is one of the named inventors of five U.S. patents for navigating the Internet on mobile devices and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Issued on October 21, 2008, the '196 patent includes 76 claims, which are supported by specifications filed in 1999 by Mr. Gottfurcht and others. 

JMBM partner and IP expert, Stanley Gibson, explains that "the '196 patent claims cover the display of Internet content reformatted from HTML to XML on mobile devices -- the industry standard currently displayed by the iPhone. Additional patent claims include the technology for manipulating a region of the screen for zooming and scrolling. 

"Websites are just beginning to develop their mobile sister sites for fast and easy navigation," says Mr. Gibson. "For example, to access NBC on a computer the URL is NBC.com. For the mobile site on the iPhone, the URL would be m.NBC.com. The '196 patent covers the simplified interface of reformatted mobile content to provide optimum viewing and navigation with single touches on a small screen." 

In addition to being an inventor, Mr. Gottfurcht is a real estate developer in West Los Angeles. He was the original developer of Beverly Park, above the Beverly Hills Hotel; Beverly Glen Park, an 800-home community and The Glen Center above Holmby Hills; and the Carriage House, now the "W" Hotel in Westwood Village. 

Mr. Gibson was one of the lead trial attorneys from Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro who successfully prosecuted Gary Michelson M.D.'s patent infringement lawsuit against Medtronic, which resulted in a $570 million verdict for his clients. Dr. Michelson received a $1.35 billion payment from Medtronic, one of the largest ever involving an intellectual property dispute and acquisition.