I once saw Steve Jobs at a coffee shop in Seattle, but I didn't look at him. Thought he might want to sue me for something if I did. Bought him a danish as a peace offering/settlement when my eye wandered over to see what he was playing on his iPod.

A new year, a new suit. Apple has filed a suit against Burst.com, a company it has been dealing with over the past few months in an attempt to quell charges by Burst that Apple is violating patents of theirs. According to Information Week, the suit is a pre-emptive strike in anticipation of Burst coming forth with those charges in court.

"Apple is seeking a declaratory judgment from the court that its products do not infringe upon patents held by Burst.com. Apple declines to specify which products are the focus of the dispute. Burst.com says it has been pursuing licensing for Apple's QuickTime, iPod, and iTunes products, including Apple's iTunes Music Store."

The article doesn't say which of Burst's patents Apple is reportedly in violation of, but Burst.com settled a similar suit against Microsoft last year for $60 million.

To Richard Lang, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Burst.com, Apple's rejection of his company's claims represents something of a double standard. "Big companies love patents as long as they're not owned by someone else," he observes.

It seems Steve has met his match.

[Via, Information Week]