Hasta La Ideas

While all the talk this week about small, computer-like things to hold in your lap has been about Apple‘s new iPad, elsewhere in the industry a story was finally wrapping up. The battle between design firm Spring Design and retailer Barnes & Noble, which found the former claiming the latter had stolen their ideas for an eReader for the company’s popular Nook device, has come to a close with a settlement, thus sealing the deal for good. We’d last checked in on the dispute back in December, when a federal judge allowed the lawsuit against B&N, which had been filed the year before, to continue. Now that money has been thrown at the problem, neither side is talking about what exactly the settlement entailed (which is certainly par for the course), but Spring’s Alex device has been discontinued, and here’s the official word from the retailer:

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Spring Design will grant Barnes & Noble a non-exclusive, paid-up royalty free license for the entire portfolio of Spring Design patents and patent applications. The terms of the settlement are otherwise confidential. The settlement agreement announced today resolves all claims brought by Spring Design, which will be dismissed with prejudice.

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