Apple

Apple has been sued for the Mac OS X startup process.

Operating Systems Solutions, a Florida company, recently sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that the Mac maker's desktop operating system violates a patent it owns for quickly booting an OS. The patent was originally issued to LG Electronics in 2002.

The patent reads, "a method for fast booting a computer system, comprising the steps of: A. performing a power on self test (POST) of basic input output system (BIOS) when the system is powered on or reset is requested; B. checking whether a boot configuration information including a system booting state which was created while executing a previous normal booting process exists or not; C. storing the boot configuration information from execution of the POST operation before loading a graphic interface (GUI) program, based on the checking result; and D. loading the graphic user interface (GUI) program."

Patently Apple was first to report on the suit.

Operating Systems Solutions doesn't cite a specific version of Apple's Mac OS X in its suit. However, the company does claim that "Apple sells or offers to sell within this district, computer systems, including but not limited to the MacBook Pro, that utilize the Mac OS X operating system that infringes" its patent.

It's currently unclear what Operating Systems Solutions actually does. Several Google searches by CNET yielded no results for the company. The firm also doesn't appear to have contact information. However, CNET did contact the company's attorney, who has not immediately responded to a request for comment or for information on the firm.

One of the more surprising elements of the suit is the patent's history, given that it was originally issued to consumer electronics giant LG in 2002. However, as Operating Systems Solutions points out in its lawsuit, the patent was reissued in 2008, and the company now owns "all right, title, and interest" in the patent.

It doesn't appear that LG is included in the lawsuit. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

According to the court filing, Operating Systems Solutions wants injunctive relief. The company is also seeking damages and the immediate "destruction [of] all remaining advertisements, circulars, brochures, or other promotional or advertising items, Web site, or other materials for the infringing method."

Like many other large companies, Apple has been a lightning rod for lawsuits over the last several years. The company is currently entangled in suits related to everything from its mobile devices to the name of its cloud-based service, iCloud.

Apple has not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the lawsuit.