Patent No. 7,020,704, which was filed in 1999, could be problematic to web media streaming.  Of course, according to the article, the popular iTunes service would not be immuned.

A company formed after the burst of the Internet bubble to control assets of defunct ZapMedia Inc. has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that could potentially send shock waves through industries that distribute digital audio and video content over the Internet.

It appears though that it maybe a while before the patent is enforced.

But even after the patent changes hands, for a company to successfully enforce a patent, it must withstand challenges, according to John Ward, partner at patent strategist Greenberg Traurig LLP. Many times disputes are settled with reasonable royalties, he said. It's a cost of doing business.

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