Microsoft, Verizon, AT&T, Spring, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, Viacom, Real, Napster...

A COMPANY sued a heap of companies for allegedly infringing patents that cover music management systems.

Premier International Associates filed the case on the 11th of September in a Texas district court.

It alleges it filed patents 6,243,725 (list building system) and 6,763,345 in 1997 when digital music was in its infancy. Premier's inventions, it claims have been incorporated into a number of products made by these companies.

Microsoft, for example, is alleged to have used this technology not only in Zune, but in WMP for Windows, Vista and the Xbox 360.

Premier wants damages. µ