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Roxio countersues Gracenote

CD-burning company Roxio, smarting from a controversial lawsuit filed against it by music company Gracenote, is challenging that company's rights to a vast database that helps identify albums. Roxio, which once used Gracenote's "CDDB" database to provide its customers with information about music CDs, has recently switched to a free alternative run out of the open-source technology community. Gracenote sued Roxio last month, charging in part that this alternative violated Gracenote's patents and copyrights. But Roxio said Thursday that it is countersuing. The company is alleging that Gracenote's patent and trademark claims are invalid, and that the patent was granted only after Gracenote "fraudulently" withheld information from federal regulators.

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John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com
John Borland
covers the intersection of digital entertainment and broadband.
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John Borland
CD-burning company Roxio, smarting from a controversial lawsuit filed against it by music company Gracenote, is challenging that company's rights to a vast database that helps identify albums. Roxio, which once used Gracenote's "CDDB" database to provide its customers with information about music CDs, has recently switched to a free alternative run out of the open-source technology community.

Gracenote sued Roxio last month, charging in part that this alternative violated Gracenote's patents and copyrights. But Roxio said Thursday that it is countersuing. The company is alleging that Gracenote's patent and trademark claims are invalid, and that the patent was granted only after Gracenote "fraudulently" withheld information from federal regulators.