"Apple Computer Inc. and Creative Technology Ltd. said in court papers they 'remain open to the possibility' of ending their litigation battles over handheld music players,"

Bloomberg reports.

"Apple, whose iPod music player controls about 77 percent of the U.S. market for such devices, and Singapore-based Creative are suing each other in California, Texas and Wisconsin. The International Trade Commission also is investigating complaints each has made accusing the other of infringing patents related to the devices,"

Bloomberg reports.


Bloomberg reports,

"Shares of Creative have risen 17 percent over the past five days on optimism the lawsuits may be settled. In a July 3 joint court filing in Madison, Wisconsin, the companies said they were in negotiations involving the licensing of Creative's patent to Apple before the suit was filed and were 'open' to reaching an agreement. 'The parties will remain open to the possibility of settlement,' they wrote in the joint report to the judge. 'No specific settlement discussions are planned.'"

"Creative has less than a 10 percent share of the U.S. market for digital music players in the U.S. and ranks behind Apple and Milpitas, California-based SanDisk Corp., according to The NPD Group. Apple has sold more than 50.8 million iPods since Jobs introduced the gadget in 2001,"

Bloomberg reports.


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