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HTC sued by Apple over patents

posted by Alan F. / Mar 02, 2010, 9:47 AM

Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC today, claiming that the Taiwanese based manufacturer infringed on more than 20 Apple patents. The patents relate to the iPhone's UI, hardware and architecture. Besides filing the suit in U.S. District Court in Delaware, the Cupertino based firm also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission. Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained why Apple is going forward with the legal action when he said, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, orwe can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it, we think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” Interestingly, BGR recently spoke with HTC officials about why they started including multitouch support in some of its newer handsets like the Hero. The response was that HTC's legal team felt confident about using it, especially in light of other competitors like Palm using it. HTC is learning today that you can't fool with Mother Nature.

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source: BGR

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42 Comments

1. Kappy

Posts: 108; Member since: Dec 14, 2009

sucks, could delay the release of upcoming HTC phones, possibly the incredible.

posted on Oct 20, 2010, 1:45 AM 0

15. sinfulta

Posts: 279; Member since: Dec 11, 2008

Nothing will happen to HTC about the multi-touch. LG lost that battle almost two years ago, because the technology was not created by EITHER of them. IBM created the first touch screen in the late 1960's , and a Educational Company called Control Data in 72' Made a PLATO 4 Computer terminal for education that had a touch interface. University of Toronto created Multi-Touch at Bell Labs, then was not released to the public till 85' and it was a multi-touch tablet. Later on in the early early 90's there was a device before Palm pilots and Handsprint called "Digital Desk" that did the same multi-finger and pinching and zoom motions. What I mentioned above is why LG lost the lawsuit against Apple for the Prada about Apple was saying that was a technology they created. Well it wasn't. It was neither of them. So should all web browsing touch screen phones have it? Yes they should. And if anything they should be hiring or paying these old research developers or paying these companies if they are in still in business they're royalties. My .02 cents.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:06 AM 0

2. ekie84

Posts: 13; Member since: Mar 02, 2010

is multitouch really an apple patern????apple s****!!!!

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:12 AM 0

35. mcmkone

Posts: 54; Member since: Mar 24, 2009

Nope it's a Nokia one and they owe Nokia for paying up like all the other mani's do...!! watch this space or google it your see...

posted on Mar 03, 2010, 3:43 AM 0

3. herbiederb

Posts: 275; Member since: Jan 28, 2010

Hopefully Google comes to the defense of HTC. Why not sue Google while you're at it?.. and Blackberry?.. and Microsoft? Apple is becoming more and more COMMUNIST everyday. And why is the U.S. patent office allowing patents on multitouch, power throttling to conserve energy, and swipe gestures to unlock, when it existed before the Iphone. When did they start to grant patents so easily? HTC has been in the phone business a lot longer than Apple and has been innovating all along. I can see a countersuit from HTC coming out of this. Go HTC! btw... I'm going to patent using two hands to type when I reinvent the keyboard.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:17 AM 0

6. corps1089

Posts: 492; Member since: Jan 20, 2010

Jobs is going after the manufacturer of Sense: arguably the best and most usable WinMo skin. I'm guessing this is a move to cut into Microsoft sales in response to the attention that Windows phone 7 Series is getting [even though you supposedly can't skin 7 Series]. Google hasn't made too much of an effort [imho] to make stock Android interface versions truly pretty and Android seems to be immune iPHone OS [at least for males] so maybe they thought HTC was a ripe target and not Google? Besides with HTC splitting between WinMo and Android, skinning Sense onto Android and making the Nexus One, and with the most anticipated 7 Series lineup, hitting HTC may just be an effective way of doing away with their most dangerous competition since Google and Microsoft are not manufacturers...

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:39 AM 0

7. Rhetoric

Posts: 74; Member since: Jul 25, 2009

What are you talking about, Apple is the farthest thing from Communist. If you want to label them with some arbitrary political term, Fascism would fit best. Damn our educational system.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:39 AM 0

8. corps1089

Posts: 492; Member since: Jan 20, 2010

If you are going to patent using two hands when you type, I'm going to patent actually touching the keys to type. Maybe I should patent the alphabet or language itself so I can sue everyone!

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:44 AM 0

9. jhoots

Posts: 74; Member since: Jan 13, 2010

apple is more like a totalitarianism.. lol

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:49 AM 0

10. jhoots

Posts: 74; Member since: Jan 13, 2010

or patent speaking with your mouth!! so, when people start using their phones to talk again you can reinvent and patent the conversation..

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:50 AM 0

20. herbiederb

Posts: 275; Member since: Jan 28, 2010

Seems pretty COMMUNIST to me and many others.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:56 AM 0

31. techie123

Posts: 54; Member since: Mar 25, 2009

Totally agree that the US patent office approves way way WAY too many patents. Sometimes there are even overlapping patents - just ridiculous! In international law, you cannot patent an idea or method - only something tangible - so a swipe to unlock a phone is NOT patentable. So, even if Apple wins this case here, it will not be enforceable anywhere else in the world! We need to follow those same rules in the US now.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 8:11 PM 0

32. techie123

Posts: 54; Member since: Mar 25, 2009

Hey, that gives me an idea. Why don't I go patent the binary numbering system! Then pretty much every company in the world would owe me gazillions!

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 9:35 PM 0

40. corps1089

Posts: 492; Member since: Jan 20, 2010

The binary number system would infringe on my supposed language patent, then I would have to decide to act like Steve Jobs or not...

posted on Mar 08, 2010, 10:59 AM 0

4. Galen20K

Posts: 579; Member since: Dec 26, 2008

oh man.... *shakes head* here we go AGAIN! lame

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:21 AM 0

5. ultimate booyah

Posts: 1; Member since: Dec 15, 2009

Wow. But not sue Palm! How about the LG Prada phone a few years back, Out before the iphone, was at the time alot like thee iphone. How about Alexander bell & two way communication I used to compare apple to Toyota They take other ideas then tweak it apple. NOW with their benign success they remind me of something worse then what Microsoft was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU I stole this from Boy genius comments section Please don't sue me

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:28 AM 0

11. jhoots

Posts: 74; Member since: Jan 13, 2010

what is apple supposed to do?? let people steal their inventions back??

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 10:55 AM 0

12. cansler

Posts: 136; Member since: Oct 07, 2009

Don't you just love this sue-happy litigious society? Apple get's sued over patent infringements, and saw how it hurt, now they want to sue HTC over something they stole anyway. You all remember they just got legal right to all their iToy patents. I bet they are trying to recoup some of their legal losses...

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:03 AM 0

13. jundibasam

Posts: 119; Member since: Aug 05, 2009

Apple needs to be dismantled and done away with. This is why I will never buy an Apple product because they claim to be a different type of company that is socially and economically responsible, yet they are even worse when dealing with their competitors than Microsoft is. Apple makes good products and is probably the best innovator out there, but that doesn't give them the right to take advantage of their brand and use it to bash and attack legitimate competition.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:03 AM 0

34. mcmkone

Posts: 54; Member since: Mar 24, 2009

Let's not forget now Apple patents on touch screen is not really theirs hence the reason Nokia is sueing them hard.. Every company that makes a touch screen phone have to pay nokia some cash and Apple has been ducking and diving this and now it's caught up with them... watch what's gonna happen before the end of this year... Apple are going to take a big hit into the billions...lol

posted on Mar 03, 2010, 3:38 AM 0

14. Steven58

Posts: 80; Member since: Nov 25, 2009

Steve Jobs = WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! CRY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:05 AM 0

16. zerglisk

Posts: 544; Member since: Feb 09, 2010

Apple should China making OPhone or any other similar devices, lol

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:30 AM 0

17. zerglisk

Posts: 544; Member since: Feb 09, 2010

I mean Apple should SUE China making OPhone....

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:31 AM 0

18. numberonenygfan

Posts: 211; Member since: Oct 19, 2009

I cant beleive peole care so much about multi touch and the fact that steve jobs is angry hes losing market share due to these cool htc devices that are being launched. Every big company piggy backs of others ideas its the way of the world, and i agree with the guy commented about the ibm and their multi touch being created a long time ago. just because apple was the first to put it on a PHONE doesnt mean they built it.. steve jobs is shaking in his baby booties that his i phone may be put to rest in the coming years.. and that they have warehouses with ipads already collecting dust.. lol here is to HTC and Google leading the way!!!

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:31 AM 0

19. fsjon

Posts: 120; Member since: Sep 03, 2009

Just to be clear...doesn't patent expire after a certain amount of years? So in a sense you can't say it was from an older patent since that was invalid. Apple was recently granted the gestures patent, so legally they have every right for legal action against almost everyone(everyone within the scope of this article).

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 11:37 AM 0

22. biggles

Posts: 269; Member since: Oct 15, 2009

Apple had the patent on overcharging consumers but that ran out 20 years ago. People still buy their products, so what's the big concern here?

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 12:12 PM 0

23. jedi2000

Posts: 31; Member since: Feb 12, 2010

Even though they have the given right to sue doesn't mean that they should, I personally expect much more from Mr. Jobs. Just because someone takes your idea and changes it for their own use doesn't give them reason to sue. This reality gives them reason to get off their high horse and get down to work on something new, and let the competition thrive thus giving them something to strive for and overcome. I hope HTC wins the law suit and Apple is put into their place, and then maybe this will humble Mr Jobs and they will make something worth wile again. Who thinks the I-phone is old news?

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 12:18 PM 0

24. herbiederb

Posts: 275; Member since: Jan 28, 2010

Seems to me like Jobs and the people at Apple dont want to work and innovate... look at the iPad. They just want to sell you incremental upgrades. Bet the next iPad has a camera. The lay public is starting to catch on and their feeling the pressure.

posted on Mar 02, 2010, 12:52 PM 0

28. phonedemocracy

Posts: 98; Member since: Sep 30, 2009

Just because a patent runs out after a few years doesnt mean you can repatent it. It becomes available to use for everyone, and the public (meaning other businesses) have the right to utilize the technology. Multi Touch wasn't invented by Apple.