Consumers in Mexico and the U.K. have joined the attack on Apple Computer's iPod nano, charging that the company knew the portable player's screen would easily scratch, lawyers representing those joining the class-action said Monday.

The filings follow an October lawsuit in the U.S., where a California man accused the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and electronics maker with knowing the nano was defective, and under normal use, would mar so that its screen would be unusable.

Steve Berman, the lead attorney of a Seattle-based firm which filed the U.S., U.K., and Mexican lawsuits, said the new actions were prompted by the large number of international requests for inclusion in the class-action. "It seems that wherever the nano is sold, problems with the defective design soon follow," Berman said in a statement.

Ben Jennings of the U.K., who was named plaintiff in that suit, bought his iPod nano in September. Despite his efforts to protect the player, within a week the screen was so scratched it was hard to read. "If I had known the truth about the problem, I never would have purchased a nano," Jennings said in an accompanying statement.

As in the U.S. suit, the new filings seek damages that include the cost of the nano, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and part of Apple's profits on the player.