Swiss company SmartData sues Apple over Apple TV, iPhone

Another company you've probably never heard of before today is after a slice of Apple's pie. This time it's Swiss company SmartData, who claims Apple is willfully infringing its patent on a "modular computer" with the Apple TV, iPhone, and Remote app.

As noted by Electronista, SmartData doesn't seem to produce any products or have any clients, so this seems to be yet another case of a company seeking to make money solely off its patent portfolio. SmartData was reportedly in licensing talks with Apple as early as 2004, but the companies' communication abruptly ended two years later.

Electronista classifies SmartData's claim as "somewhat tenuous," noting that nothing in the claim actually appears to apply to Apple's products. That, plus the fact that the claim was filed in Apple's San Jose court district rather than the plaintiff-friendly East Texas district, makes it far less likely that SmartData will succeed in its claim.