Spanish firm NT-K beats Apple in court, files extortion charges

Two months ago, Spanish tablet maker Nuevas Tecnologías y Energías Catalá (or NT-K for short) won a design infringement lawsuit Apple filed against it a year earlier. Now, NT-K is on the offensive and seeking damages from Apple; the company has filed extortion charges against Apple, according to The Mac Observer.

NT-K's tablets were all seized when Apple successfully obtained an injunction against sales of the devices, and NT-K argues this was a severe detriment to sales. It's hard to argue with their reasoning, but analysis by FOSS Patents questions whether Apple pursuing its legal rights in an infringement case falls under the umbrella of extortion. "For now I don't see evidentiary support for the claim that Apple sought to 'extort' NT-K and possibly other small companies," Florian Mueller writes.

Over the past year, Apple has aggressively targeted companies it feels are copying designs of the iPad and iPhone. Companies both large and small have borne the brunt of Cupertino's wrath, from smaller outfits like NT-K all the way up to industry giants like Samsung.