Palm Inc. and a group of companies that own patents for MP3 technology, including U.S. Philips Corp. and France Telecom SA, have resolved an infringement and antitrust dispute over patents related to the MP3 standard. The judge in the case approved an agreement among the parties to drop all claims and counterclaims in the suit without prejudice. Finnegan partner John Paul, representing the plaintiffs, confirmed that a settlement had been reached and that Palm had taken a license. The suit, filed in December 2009, accused Palm of infringing three patents that the plaintiffs claimed cover essential elements of the MPEG audio standard used in MP3 players.
