Website Gizmodo is reporting that the Apple iPod’s ability to "automatically rotate from portrait to landscape mode depending on how you hold it" is a function that was patented by Sony Ericsson (SNE)(ERIC) in August 2006.

The iPod has certainly taken the thunder from Sony. The Walkman and Watchman successes are now long ago memories. And, the Sony Ericsson handset, which tend to be high-end and more expensive that most from Motorola (MOT) and Nokia (NOK) has to view the new iPhone as big competition.

Nice to have a patent on something the competition markets.

Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at douglasamcintyre@247wallst.com. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.