Spotify, iHeartMedia Sued Over Audio Playback Patents

Patent infringement lawsuits, both valid and unjustified, are a fact of life in tech.  As the value of music streaming has grown, so have the legal action surrounding it.  Spotify and iHeartMedia are the latest targets.

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Spotify and iHeartMedia are being sued over allegations that they are infringing on a playlist technology patent. Post Media Systems representing inventor Alan Bartholomew is suing the two music streamers over 3 patents. The two related cases filed in Texas Eastern District Court include a patent for a “System and Method for Creating and Posting Media Lists for Purposes of Subsequent Playback.”

“While developing office productivity software products for customers, (Bartholomew) worked in his spare time to find creative ways of combining his musical interests and software expertise. This led to his developing a way to broadcast audio files over shared networks, now often referred to as podcasting, such as used for entertainment, marketing and educational purposes,” according to court documents.

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