Launched on Tuesday, Apple's podcasting service is built into its online iTunes Music Store.
The new service encourages iTunes users to subscribe to podcasts -- self-published radio programming -- for free, and allows them to publish their own.
Like the iTMS, the podcast service features a list of the top 100 podcasts and highlights programs in different categories, such as public radio, morning shows and talk radio.
Podcasters may not include unauthorized copyright material in their broadcasts, and Apple will reportedly monitor podcasts for infringing material, according to the Guardian.
Apple also provides a complaint form on the iTMS to notify the company of any copyright violations.
But with the unanimous Supreme Court decision in the MGM Studios v. Grokster case, companies can now be sued if they encourage users of their technology to infringe copyrights.
Godwin said Apple would likely have a very strong case because selling authorized, legal content is the focus of its business model.
But if a copyright holder were to bring a case against the company for an unauthorized podcast, Apple might have to litigate the case in order to win it.
Michael Gartenberg, research director at Jupiter Research, doubted the Supreme Court decision would spell trouble for Apple.
Gartenberg said it would probably be a greater risk for the podcaster than Apple.
Jason Shultz, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation said it was more likely that copyright holders would use the notice-and-takedown provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
"I don't think Apple's feature is going to be threatened under the Grokster decision unless there's overwhelming evidence that the majority of podcasts contain infringing material," he said.
With the new podcast feature, Jupiter's Gartenberg said Apple has already taken the niche technology and made it mainstream.