E-Data, a small patent-only company that holds a key digital distribution patent, has reached a European agreement with Apple that gave the company worldwide rights for its iTunes Music Store. It has now launched a new round of patent infringement suits against 14 companies including Amazon.com and The New York Times.

The company’s patents, granted in 1985, cover the transmission of information to a remote point-of-sale location, where the information is then transferred to a material object. The company says that includes the sale of digital music online which can then be burned to a CD or transferred to a hard drive device like an iPod.

In a separate announcement, it has filed suits againt: Cinemark; Regal Entertainment Group; Thomson; International Data Group; Amazon.com; Movietickets.com; Ticketmaster’ Marcus Theaters; Fandango; Franklin Electronic Publishers; The New York Times Company; Hallmark Cards; American Greetings; and NewsBank.