Apple to face off against Psystar in court

After three months of silence following the release of the Mac clone by Psystar in April, the Cupertino company sued the company over copyright infringement.

The suit was filed July 3 in the US District Court for the district of Northern California, San Francisco. Initial filings for the case are due in October, while a case management conference is scheduled for October 22, court documents indicate. Judge James Larson has been assigned to the case.

Psystar offers a Mac clone for $399, along with a higher-end version for $999. Originally called the OpenMac, the name was later changed to "Open Computer" -- likely to avoid trademark infringement.

Shipping of the desktops began in late April, although it is not known how many of the machines have so far been ordered. In addition to Mac OS X, Psystar offers the option to install Windows or Linux onto its high-end model.

Representatives for Apple and Psystar could not be immediately reached for comment.

BetaNews is currently in the process of obtaining a copy of the suit, and we'll provide extended excerpts as soon as we do.