IMO, APS/Wencor owns the trademark for ``digEplayer``, and virtually nothing else. There are two other such handheld offerings and one pending, with secure content. Plus, any fool can take their own video device on-board for their own In-Flight Entertainment (whether it be their laptop or a PMP). Do these other three entities, as well the ``fools``, have licensing agreements with APS/Wencor to offer/use something so similar? IMO, NO. The box is APS/Wencor`s? Alter the box! But I currently doubt that the box is patentable, because it`s simply just too ``generic``.

The trademark is the key. So, if you ask EDIG/RP ``can EDIG sell the digEplayer to entities in the IFE industry other than APS/Wencor?``, of course the answer will be ``no``. The ``digEplayer`` trademark is owned by APS/Wencor, so unless another IFE entity licensed the name, it wouldn`t be a ``digEplayer``. Can they license (or even arrange/oversee manufacture of) a product based on their video technology, possibly for use in the IFE industry? I bet the answer would be ``yes``.

Even if APS/Wencor owns something more than the name, others could licensed from them (as I speculated yesterday), as well as EDIG, ITTIAM, DivX, etc.

Best way to finalize this friendly argument is probably to go to pending/existing patent records and look for Boyer, APS and Wencor and see what you get. You may get something under each, but I bet it won`t be a digEplayer.

JMHO, and I KNOW nuttin`!

SGE