Apple accuses HTC of infringing on (20) of their patents. [UPDATE: 2]

Update 2: Well well well. Looks like at least part of the ruffled feathers are centered around Android. How specific does it get? We’ll shall see…

Update: It seems HTC wasn’t enough aware of the filings yet, they only learned of the suit from Engadget’s post and Apple’s press release, They haven’t even been served yet. Here is what HTC sent in to Engadget:

“We only learned of Apple’s actions based on your stories and Apple’s press release. We have not been served yet so we are in no position to comment on the claims. We respect and value patent rights but we are committed to defending our own innovations. We have been innovating and patenting our own technology for 13 years.”

Apple has reportedly submitted over 700 pages to the courts, head over to Engadget to read the entire story.

Who loves a good lawsuit? Well get ready because this one involves two heavyweights: Apple and HTC. Apple of course makes the iPhone. A mobile device that has stirred up quite a bit of innovation over the last few years in the mobile realm. And then you have HTC who has done some equally impressive things with their own hardware/software. Apparently HTC has been doing a little too much in the way of “borrowing” ideas from Apple as the Cupertino giant is taking them to court for infringing on no less than 20 of their patents. Jobs himself had this 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.”

I’m all for protecting what’s yours and common sense forms of intellectual property. But more often than not, companies simply sue the competition to keep them from legitimately competing. I mean, cut through the BS — how many different ways can you really design a phone to read inputs from a finger sliding across some glass? Once the dirty details of the lawsuit are made public, we’ll be better able to judge if Apple has some actual footing here or if it’s another example of how broken our patent/IP system/mindset is in this country.

Apple thinks they own the whole idea of a basic touchscreen phone that can access the internet. Only problem is, such an idea is entirely too vague to actually enforce. Besides, need we be reminded the whole point of patents and copyrights is to promote the advancement of technology. If we have companies suing each other with overly vague patents, nothing is gained except the prosecuting companies’ pockets. It’s all about money and power unfortunately.

Who’s side are you on?

Engadget Mobile

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Author: Mike Norris

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Gadget lover, smartphone collector, and beer connoisseur. I've been writing about gadgets for three years now and loving every minute of it. Outside of the digital landscape, I enjoy being active outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation, so feel free to drop me a line!