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Apple Files Lawsuit Against HTC Over Alleged iPhone Patent Infringement

Teh Don Ditty

Teh Don Ditty

macrumors G4
Original poster
Jan 15, 2007
11,306
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Maryland
http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/apple-sues-htc-for-infringing-20-iphone-patents/

Story still developing as Engadget pulls the details of the lawsuit down.

Enadget Story said:
Looks like Apple's going on the warpath, kids. Just a few months after Cupertino got into it with Nokia over phone patents, Apple's filed suit against HTC, alleging that the company is infringing 20 patents "related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware." Steve, you have something to say?

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Okay then. We're pulling the complaint filing now, we'll let you know the exact details as soon as we learn them.
Click to expand...

Mods: If this story is elsewhere please merge it
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/03/02/apple-files-lawsuit-against-htc-over-alleged-iphone-patent-infringement/
Good. Here we go.

"We've patented the hell out of this thing"

Finally, Apple wakes up and takes action.
 
Apple Files Lawsuit Against HTC Over Alleged iPhone Patent Infringement



100806-htc_logo.jpg


Apple today announced that it has filed suit against handset manufacturer HTC regarding alleged infringement of 20 iPhone-related patents. The patents cover such aspects as the user interface, architecture, and hardware.

Apple today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Click to expand...

HTC has become a prominent player in the rapidly-growing Android handset market, and is Google's manufacturing partner for the Nexus One released earlier this year.

Apple is currently involved in a number of high-profile patent lawsuits primarily stemming from the iPhone, but also extending into other aspects of the company's business. Apple and Nokia have filed suits against each other citing infringement of each other's patents, while Kodak recently filed complaints against Apple and Research in Motion related to digital camera patents.

Article Link: Apple Files Lawsuit Against HTC Over Alleged iPhone Patent Infringement
 
"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Steve Jobs said that? Sounds a lot like Katie Cotton to me...
 
Android having multitouch must be making someone at Apple very angry. What they should be worried about is "accidentally" infringing on patents that HTC may hold. They've been in the phone business for a while, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that they hold a patent or two that other phone manufacturers have used, but just haven't enforced.
 
rwilliams said:
They've been in the phone business for a while,
Click to expand...

HTC may hold patents they did nothing with until Apple showed up. Then again, HTC might have simply decided to walk a fine line (possibly violating Apple's patents) and pull in profit for as long as possible before it hit the fan.

Apple introduced the iPhone and suddenly everyone else got busy changing around their UIs, adding capacitive touch screens, you name it.

Apple knows exactly what they're doing in the legal arena. They've dodged any and all antitrust dangers, maintained their iTunes business model, fought off all allegations of corporate wrongdoing (stock-options, etc.) and recently got their OS X EULA upheld, burying Psystar.

Note that Apple did nothing against Palm, even though that was a similar situation. Apple *has* decided to go after HTC, though. Seems Apple has a strong position this time.

Smart money is on Apple.
 
MacRumors said:
Apple is currently involved in a number of high-profile patent lawsuits primarily stemming from the iPhone, but also extending into other aspects of the company's business. Apple and Nokia have filed suits against each other citing infringement of each other's patents, while Kodak recently filed complaints against Apple and Research in Motion related to digital camera patents.
Click to expand...

They're all a bunch of robbing bastards. At least the biggest bunch of robbing bastards of them all (the lawyers) will be happy.
 
This means that...

This must mean that the Nexus 1 is pretty good.

Apple wouldn't bothers suing over a crappy product.
 
what a troll. patent troll.

lets see the patent world war I with apple, Nokia, HTC, maybe google, microsoft, palm, lets see who has more patents under the table and can sue others off their pants.

I hope every case goto a real court rather than settling outside.

GSM patent (NOkia)
a patent for grid like launcher UI (Palm)
an unspecified implementation of multitouch (apple)
whatever HTC has
etc
etc
etc
 
*LTD* said:
Apple knows exactly what they're doing in the legal arena. They've dodged any and all antitrust dangers, maintained their iTunes business model, fought off all allegations of corporate wrongdoing (stock-options, etc.) and recently got their OS X EULA upheld, burying Psystar.
Click to expand...

They didn't do so well against Creative.

*LTD* said:
Note that Apple did nothing against Palm...
Click to expand...

Yet.
 
this was inevitable, just a question of when. touch ui will cause drama in the courtrooms for years to come. if these are hardware related patents, google's next.
 
Calculated move by Apple.

They didn't go after palm, because the Pre was destined for failure, and because Apple had infringed on a bunch of Palm's PDA patents for use in the iPhone.

HTC, on the other hand... I think they're in a world of trouble.
 
*LTD* said:
Good. Here we go.

"We've patented the hell out of this thing"

Finally, Apple wakes up and takes action.
Click to expand...

This is NOT good. A market in which the iPhone is the only option is a horrible market indeed.

Having a choice is a good thing. If Apple manages to destroy HTC, Android, Palm, etc... we'll no longer have a choice. And that's a horrible situation.

We all love Apple for different reasons. I love the Mac. You love the iPhone. I can understand it, but at the same time, I'd rather there continue to be competition, because it keeps companies on their toes providing amazing stuff for us to play with at prices most of us can afford.

-Z
 
This is going to get ugly. Apple's already knee deep into Nokia and Kodak. Now they have another big one to contend with: HTC.

It is a good time to be a lawyer at Apple right now...unless you want to see your spouse and kids.
 
iSee said:
This must mean that the Nexus 1 is pretty good.

Apple wouldn't bothers suing over a crappy product.
Click to expand...

You can implement Apple's patents - and if you're not Apple, there's a good chance you'll mess it up.

You'll end up with a bad iPhone copy. Which is what the Nexus One is.
 
*LTD* said:
Note that Apple did nothing against Palm,
Click to expand...

jouster said:
Yet.
Click to expand...

lol, you guys really think palms suck so bad that they hold no important patent during the whole process of 10 years making first smartphone called treo?

be objective, at least try. apple might has money, but palm's patents arsenal is no kidding.
*LTD* said:
You can implement Apple's patents - and if you're not Apple, there's a good chance you'll mess it up.

You'll end up with a bad iPhone copy. Which is what the Nexus One is.
Click to expand...

oh com'on now, Nexus One does dynamic background, multi-tasking, good notification, what did it copy iPhone again?
 
Up yours, Apple. Yours too, patent office, for putting through some of the idiotic patents Apple has been granted that they probably shouldn't have.


Lets not pretend for a second that this isn't just Apple being butthurt that other phones are succeeding.
 
Strange development this as HTC were selling/announced touchflo (now HTC sense) phones before the iPhone. Like the Nokia lawsuit I can't see this ending well for Apple.
 
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