Did Barnes & Nobel Steal Nook's Design from Spring Design?

Last month I wrote a blog post about the Barnes & Nobel much anticipated Nook eReader. As I said in the blog I think the idea of combining a color multi-touch screen with a ePaper was pretty smart stop-gap solution until ePaper can support multi-touch. I like innovative ideas like that, don't you?

So I was disappointed when I learned that Barnes & Noble may have stolen the design for a smaller company, Spring Design. Spring Design, according to this article had been working on the device since 2006. The resemblance between their design (shown left) and the Nook is beyond uncanny.

Barnes & Nobel was in talks with Spring Design and had a non-disclosure agreement on Spring Design's design well before introducing the Nook. Apparently, Spring Design has plenty of documentation to back that up.

If this is true, if B&N did steal the design, and only the courts or out-of-court settlements will tell us that, than I'm deeply disappointed in Barnes & Nobel. That was not very Noble of Barnes and Nobel. I shop there a lot and I was seriously considering buying a Nook myself. But when a big company takes advantage of a smaller innovator it really pisses me off.

If Barnes & Nobel did steal the design of the Nook from Spring Design, than I wish Spring Design all the luck in the world with regard to their lawsuit.