Have you seen the latest TV ad for Apple's iPod Touch? As expected, it was slick and stylish as are most things Apple. The presentation was a nice experience with light music. Best of all, it debuted on American Idol. If you missed it, don't worry. We've got it for you and you can play it when you visit the full article.

In a story that reflects some of the contentious, often sticky issues facing the online digital sales and distribution of music (and other media), attorneys for American Idol winner Taylor Hicks filed suit with Alabama's US District Court last Tuesday over the online distribution of his music. No, Hicks' not suing iTunes or other online music distributors (probably a refreshing change). He's suing musical producer William Smith of Nashville's William Smith Productions, Inc., to stop the release of his pre-Idol tunes on iTunes.

Smith made available three of Hicks' old songs, one dating back to 1997, on iTunes. Though he had asked permission from Hicks, the latter refused. Hicks' attorneys claim that the artist is the owner of the legal copyright over the disputed tracks, and that Smith had no right to offer them on iTunes. Smith would not comment on the matter of copyright ownership, but claimed that the songs at the heart of the lawsuit came from an audition Hicks had done with him. Hicks filed the suit to prevent damage to his reputation from the songs' release, and to claim his share of the profits generated from already-concluded downloads and sales. The court issued a restraining order that effectively pulled the songs from iTunes.

Think it's a small deal? Remember though that this is only one part of a larger debate in the industry regarding the ownership of artistic media - especially in the digital realm - and the rights attached to such ownership. There has already been one case of musicians claiming that their record company was duping them of their iTunes royalties. Then there's the entire DRM debate. The safe bet we can make is: expect more of these cases to pop up as the industry and consumers alike grapple with these issues at the heart of the music playing in our iPods.