Apple finally receives a design patent for Cover Flow

There are still very few native music applications out there that rivals Apple's Cover Flow interface – something that was unveiled on iTunes 7.0 a little bit under 4 years ago and subsequently on the iPhone. We've seen some that prove to equally match it, but its undeniable characteristics make it stand out from afar. Continuing their efforts in protecting their creations, Apple was recently rewarded a design patent for their Cover Flow UI element. Essentially they can now go after anyone that remotely has a substantial look to Cover Flow – although they can bust them for having the look of the system, they can't do anything regarding its functionality; hence the design patent. There might be some applications out there that may have some similarities, but hopefully they'll ever so slightly modify it in a way to move far from Apple's heat seeking gleam.

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source: Patent D613,300 via Engadget