Two companies have filed separate lawsuits against Apple, claiming it has violated patents related to the iPod and the iTunes music store.

According to NewsFactorNetwork, Advanced Audio Devices is alleging the iPod digital music device infringes on one of the company's patents covering a "music jukebox", while Pat-rights has filed a suit focusing on Apple's digital rights management (DRM) technology, claiming the company is violating its patent.

Advanced Audio Devices filed its patent in August 2000 for a method of storing a music library in a digital format. The company did try to settle its claim with Apple in December, according to news reports, but Apple rebuffed the attempt.

Pat-rights was granted its patent in December 2003, with a filing that describes a technique for protecting software from unauthorised use.

Pat-rights president Peter Chung says Apple's DRM technology ? called Fairplay ? is not patented, adding that Apple had not sought patent rights because it knew the patent belonged to someone else.