More courtroom action as HTC attacks Apple
by Steven Mostyn - Aug 17 2011, 10:46
Not so quiet in the courtroom. Image: HTC.
Oh, it’s all going off in the courtroom this week. Specifically, Taiwan-based handset giant HTC has moved to tighten the legal thumbscrews on both the iPhone and iPad after filing a patent infringement complaint against Apple Inc.
The complaint in question, which has been submitted to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), claims Jobs & Co. have violated three of HTC’s wireless technology patents during the creation of their market-leading smartphone and tablet computer.
“Apple needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its products,” commented HTC general counsel Grace Lei in an official statement. “We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones.”
Although usually unwilling to offer comment to the media, a spokesperson for Apple has stepped from the Cupertino shadows in order to respond to HTC’s accusations, saying: “Competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
News of HTC’s move against Apple comes after Apple itself recently filed patent infringement claims against both Samsung and Motorola—with the former being temporarily forced to pull its 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab from circulation in Europe.
HTC’s attack upon Apple comes in response to a patent complaint filed earlier this year against HTC-branded phones. A subsequent court ruling has fallen in favour of the iPhone maker and could lead to the enforcement of an importation ban on certain HTC handsets.
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