Publishers Lunch Deluxe, picking up on a story in PRNewswire, reports that Discovery Communications has filed a patent infringement lawsuit alleging that Discovery’s founder, John S. Hendricks, invented and patented a Kindle-like e-book delivery system back in the 1990s.

Discovery hasn’t sought an injunction, but simply seeks compensation. They have not (yet, at any rate), sued Sony or other e-book device manufacturers or service providers. That includes the inventors of the Rocket Book, the putative mother of all e-books, which has been around for eleven years.

What took Discovery so long to file its suit? That will undoubtedly come out in the wash, so watch these pages for updates.

RC