The Tokyo District Court on Thursday order the U.S. Apple Inc. to pay 330 million yen (about 3. 35 million U.S. dollars) in damages to Japanese inventor Norihiko Saito over patent infringement involving iPod music player, according to local media.

The patent that Saito's company applied for in 1998 covers a technology for the click wheel controller that Apple has used for its iPod player in Japan since 2004, Japan's Kyodo News quoted presiding judge in a ruling.

The damages amount was based on the volume of past sales and is far less than 10 billion yen (about 101.56 billion dollars) newly claimed by Saito.

Saito filed an application with the Tokyo Customs for an injunction against iPod imports over the patent infringement in 2007, said the report.

The U.S. company then filed a suit seeking to confirm the absence of a patent infringement, while Saito launched a countersuit asking 100 million yen (around 1.02 million dollars) in damages. Endi

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