Apple Files New Suit Against Creative

Apple has sued Creative a second time, court documents indicate. The new suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Texas on June 1, accuses the electronics maker of infringing on three more of Apple's patents, and seeks damages and an injunction.

Creative first sued Apple on May 15, accusing the company of infringement of the so-called "Zen Patent." Apple moved quickly and countersued the company on the same day, claiming infringement on four patents of its own.

In the case of the current suit, Creative is accused of infringing on three patents: one that involves the display of data on a computer; another involving the process of editing data using a portable device; and one involving the creation of icons for organizational purposes.

So far, Creative has remained quiet on this latest suit. Some industry watchers believe that Apple may be searching through its list of patents and suing Creative for ones it feels it has a solid case on, pressuring the smaller MP3 player maker to settle quickly.

Analysts say that suing Apple was not the answer for Creative, and that it needs to focus on its business fundamentals first. Additionally, Creative is in shaky financial shape, and Apple has the money to make the process a long and expensive fight.

For Creative's fiscal year ending June 30, the company is expected to post a loss of $116.6 million, according to Reuters estimates.