By We figured this would happen: Apple issued a press release claiming they were filing suit over HTC’s alleged infringement of 20 iPhone related patents but said little else. Now the filings have been found and Apple calls out Android by name, taking issue with only HTC’s phones that feature Google’s mobile OS.
You can check out scanned images of the 41 page document at Engadget and TechCrunch also found 10 of the 20 patents Apple claims HTC infringed upon:
- Patent No. 7,362,331: “Time-Based, Non-Constant Translation Of User Interface Objects Between States”
- Patent No. 7,479,949: “Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics”
- Patent No. 7,657,849: “Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image”
- Patent No. 7,469,381: “List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display”
- Patent No. 5,920,726: “System And Method For Managing Power Conditions Within A Digital Camera Device.”
- Patent No. 7,633,076: “Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices”
- Patent No. 5,848,105: “GMSK Signal Processors For Improved Communications Capacity And Quality”
- Patent No. 7,383,453: “Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor”
- Patent No. 5,455,599: “Object-Oriented Graphic System”
- Patent No. 6,424,354: “Object-Oriented Event Notification System With Listener Registration Of Both Interests And Methods”
Some of these just sound ludicrous – I mean, “Unlocking a device using a touchscreen”? Give me a break. I’m sure there is some substance to Apple’s lawsuit or they wouldn’t be making it. Or maybe they’re just hoping that something holds up and they’re taking a long shot. I get the idea Apple is scared – very scared – of Android’s potential and HTC is currently their champion, although Motorola is trying to make a case.
The show is just starting ladies and gentlemen – I’m thinking we’ll see some type of public response from HTC and probably a long drawn out behind-the-scenes process before we know how it will all turn out.
Any patent lawyers in the room? Anyone going to sift through all these documents? If you uncover any juicy details you know who to share them with!
UPDATE: Engadget is doing a blow by blow of the patents – check it out.
Just like Apple, if you can’t beat them, sue them. This is what’s wrong with the Patent office how in the hell could they even grant these patents in the first place.
wow..no patent for “using voice to speak into a hand held device”
Wow! That’s just ridiculous. Eff Apple.
omg do apple just patent everything and sue everything that moves?
How about a symbolic legal fund for HTC just to show support? They wouldn’t take the money, but it would probably grab some headlines. Later, donate the money to charity. Or maybe an anti-Apple petition?
Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image? That one is just more proof that Stevie Jobs is bat s#*% crazy.
I think there needs to be a federal investigation into how Apple got these patents in the first place. I mean seriously, NONE of these would normally be approved by the patent office.
i guess i should patent talking so everyone that speaks has to pay me royalties then.
I have a Windows Mobile phone which also is made by HTC and also would violate all of the listed patents. WiMo is not a direct competition to the iPhone so they don’t see it as a threat. But Driod is a HUGE competition to it. I also find it interesting that they didn’t attack until Droid phones were being offered on AT&T’s plans.
I am in no way a lawyer, but a patent is a patent, so they have a case. I just can’t take Apple as a credible company due to their lawsuit vs the windows OS, when they stole it from Xerox. Also, do to the fact that Palm and Blackberry did not recive a lawsuit, nor any other touchscreen manufacture, Apple wants to flex their mussles a bit.
Those seem prety vague to me. Apple must of forgot that they didnt invent the touchscreen.
A lot of these sound like software infringments, they should take on google. That would be hillarious.
What I don’t understand is how they can legally go after HTC not Google. Microsoft Office infringed some patent, is Dell liable for that infringement? If they want to go after anyone, they should be going after Google. That is besides the fact that some of these are frivolous patents at best.
lol OO graphical interface. that is ridicoulous…
Here is a patent Apple should get, “Speaking into a device while waiting for it to drop your call”.
Apple and Steve Jobs are crazy! Apple is scared because someone actually stood up to them and surpassed them innovatively. Oh well thats life. By the way Apple stole their whole look and touch screen from LG’s Prada which came out way before the Iphone. Everyone of these claims will get thrown out as they will bring Palm, LG, Moto and all other phone manufacturers. Apple at a loss and they’re going to lose this case BIG time.
It is a ridiculous lawsuit, and hopefully APPLE will learn its lesson. Considering that HTC/ANDROID has substantially improved upon and changed the method of use cited in the PATENTS, I can’t see how they would be able to lay claim to successive generations of technology. Also, it could be argued that this PATENT concern/protection lawsuit is just an effort to STIFLE competition. APPLE is not so solid in their footing here. I hope KARMA bites em’ but good! Given the PUBLIC comments from JOBS, etc., concerning competition, it just might hurt them in a big way! Now that Google’s ANDROID is intentionally brought into the fray, I hope they line up their GUNS along with HTC. HTC has been making phones for a hell of a lot longer than APPLE. Screw APPLE and it’s ANTI-TECH, ANTI-COMPETITION, we are the world, we OWN the world mentality!!!
F*** apple. they want to patent everything that every smartphone has been doing for years and sue HTC w/Android but no one else. are they feeling a little threatened? F*** apple.
Patent No. 5,455,599: “Object-Oriented Graphic System”
Really? So anyone else that creates a Graphic System needs to use text oriented shortcuts? What the hell is this supposed to even mean? No logos on a graphics system of any kind? This is a ridiculous patent.
@kidphat The fact that Google gives its OS away and HTC actually sells it consumers might have something to do with it.
I really don’t blame Apple for patenting the hell out of any tech it can. What rational firm wouldn’t do the same thing? The real problem is that our patent laws aren’t well suited to software in particular.
You had to know this was going to happen after Jobs had his little tantrum and Google said F^(% it, Nexus One get pinch and zoom.
I fart in your general direction apple. wait, maybe i should patent it first just in case someone else does it to, i do see it becoming very popular.
Patent reform would be key here. Apple pissing and whining that Nokia is doing this patent stuff to them when they turn around and do it themselves is a bit hypocritical.
Legitimate patents for a developed technology are legit, but a few of these patents are gesture based. This is like Apple’s pinch to zoom patent. Pinching has been around since the dawn of time. I should patent that action.
Apple lost all my respect a long time ago when they switched to using Intel CPU’s. At that time the mac(in all its forms) became nothing more than just another PC. Sure they had their own OS on them, and their shiney cases.. but deep down inside they are just like all the other PC’s they just COST more. That being said, it trually funny that this lawsuit comes as Apple themselves are being sued for guess what? Patent infringement for the use of multi-touch! Hmmm is smell a rat with a turtleneck…doing what he does best, diverting attention of the masses by claiming “unfair” while behind closed doors they do the same thing.
I uninstalled itunes as a symbolic gesture of disgust. Amazon.com now gets my business.
When I worked at a game company in the mid 1990s the board of directors insisted we try to come up with some patents to use against any companies who might insist we were violating their patents. My programmers hated the idea (they don’t like to comment let alone maintain journals). I was put in charge of the program and argued frequently with the attorney hired for the project (who understood the objections). I recall we were granted one patent while I was there and the programmer responsible wasn’t happy about it.
Most patents should not be granted because they are obvious solutions but apparently to programmers only. Apple had some glory during the Vista years when people were looking for alternatives but Windows 7 may be taking away that edge. And certainly Android being open for so many companies and telecoms to implement is taking down their smartphone niche (not that smartphones didn’t exist before the iPhone).
Does this mean that they bought every single android handset made by HTC and started playing with it for hours and hours to find lame stuff like this?
Ridiculous or not, the lawsuits were filed because a bunch of staff/retainer legal types know that this is the way the game is played. In the give and take, both sides will share information – and probably a portion of their employees – when it is all done.
I was a member of a technical team evaluating a patent law suit against a technology company and how they did Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). The suit was comparing the way that this particular vendor implemented MPLS and how that overlapped with the way other technologies worked. Like this lawsuit they were going after the vendor and not the group that defined how MPLS should operate (which by the way was the IETF). Anyways, the lawsuit eventually went away as it was proved that the vendor was not at fault and due to the nature of how internet standards are defined the working group could not be attacked. This is probably going to end in a similar fashion.
I just pinched my wife on the derriere using my thumb and forefinger. Does this mean I owe a royalty to widdle Stevie Yobs?
The funny thing is…if you read the comments on this story posted on AppleInsider and MacRumors, you’ll find many of the Apple fanboys actually showing similar disgust with Apple on this move. But alas, Apple has a precendent of doing what is good for Apple, not necessarily good for its customers, the marketplace or the industry.
@kidphat
I think they are trying to scare phone manufactures into not using the Android platform. Plus Google has a lot more money to fight a lawsuit than HTC has so they will have less legal fees to pay by going after HTC. While it would be cutting into their profit, Google could always play their trump card and restrict access to all Google services on all iPhones. I’m sure Steve would love that.
I hope that Google both fires back with a lawsuit vs Apple regarding equally frivolous crap and lends legal assistance (ie money) to HTC. Apple could have sued Google, Motorola, Samsung, or any other Android manufacturer, but instead they chose to sue HTC for a very particular reason. In my opinion, it is because HTC doesn’t have deep pockets and is the least able to defend themselves from this lawsuit. Apple is going for the easy target to get a legal precedence, which they can then use against the big guns of Google, Moto, etc.
@Rob, I wouldn’t say that there must be some substance to Applet’s claim. I work for a software company that is currently defending itself from a completely made up software copyright case. The accusing company has no grounds, but are using the case for advantage in the political/marketing aspect of the industry.
Boo Apple!
REALLY?!?!…Now this just proves that Apple is really scared of android and its potential. Going after HTC, Apple won’t go after Google because Google has loads of cash and that’s a fight they can’t win. Apple should go back to providing us great products like Apple TV, oh wait, that was a piece of crap!
I have a patent on the letter ‘a’. I’m suing all of you.
And, by his own admission, Apple is doesn’t shy away from ‘stealing’ either:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
“We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
I’ll only use apple computers but this whole thing is repulsive. Jobs you’ll still get your billions of dollars even with HTC using pinch and zoom. Companies using the “same” technologies only advance things further, ISN’T THAT WHY YOU STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE JOBS!? TO PROGRESS AND MOVE FORWARD?!…NOPE, INSTEAD YOU WANT TO BE A DUNCE WITH A TON OF MONEY, GOOD JOB JOBS!!! I LOVE HTC BTW!!! ANDROID TOO!!
How does Googles patent portfolio look? I imagine they don’t have much in the way to swing at Apples as they deal in OS’s. HTC probably doesn’t have much either. However even though this is all aimed at Google I would not be surprised if some other companies didn’t jump in and toss some patents at Apple. The patents they are suing with are very broad and cover just about any cell phone made…and computer for that matter as well. If these other companies see that they will toss this stuff out to save their butts I imagine some will want to shut that down now rather than later when its aimed at them.
Apple has the patents and has every right to enforce them. I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is the fact that some of these patents were ever issued!!! A patent must be “non-obvious” to be approved. The US Patent Office needs a complete re-evaluation of there approval procedure!
Almost all these patents are about Software and Procedures: they are invalid in Europe.
I think Americans should wake up and kill that stupid software patents legislation: it kills innovation and subtract funds to technology research.
This PR stunt is bound to backfire for Apple.
What does this tell us about Apple? It looks like they’re trying to prevent a competitor from selling a better product (Android phones). So rather than letting the consumer have the product that they want (Android), they want to use patent lawsuits to stifle the release of superior products. Sounds pretty evil and underhanded of Steve Jobs.
I honestly don’t think I’ll ever buy another Apple product again, and I’ll use whatever social influence I have to deter people away from Apple products.
LOL! Most of these patents Apple is suing for are just stupid. Like the “Unlocking a touchscreen phone using a gesture”. wouldn’t apples patent only help them if HTC used the slider that Apple did, of which HTC does not.
I wish Google, Motorola, Palm, HTC, AND MICROSOFT would all file patent Infringement against Apple.
You know that Apple has got to be infringing on TONS of Microsoft’s. Let’s see Desktop, icons, recycle bin, deleting files, the list goes on and on and on….
Maybe this will be the Worst move in Apple’s history…
I have intuitively never liked Apple, and therefore never bought even one of their products. This asinine move by Apple just confirms my suspicions about the company.
I hope Google pulls out of all Apple devices like they did with China…imagine the thousands….no sorry, hundreds of mac users not being able to “google it” or maybe the Iphone losing all of it’s google apps. See who needs who more…
If Apple wins. (IF!!) I wonder what this’ll mean for me and my Eris.
[Gotta stay patient for 2.1/root]
This is absolutely disgusting, it strikes me as if apple are going after the weakest one of the Android manufacturers (by that, I mean the one that doesn’t have the deepest pockets). However, surely if it’s Android they are worried about, they should go after Google. Or are they too big? On that note, my ipod is being returned tomorrow and I’m going to buy a Walkman
HTC had a few responses to this
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/03/apple-sues-htc-google-nexus-one-phone-alleged-patent-infringement.html
correct me if im wrong but didnt (bill gates) microsoft steal from apple? formally Macintosh line, but im not defending apple in the slightest fashion, i believe this could without a doubt be the dumbest move i have seen apple throw since the ban of google or android in their market, and censoring of women in a sexual nature and men of a sexual nature on their market. its such a shame, but it is their company and they have the right to do the dumbest things in their companies history as they see fit
that’s IMO free ads for android/htc… well done :D
this news will go on all newspaper, and everyone will know that there are other/better products on the market…
;) think positive
And to consider that at some point in time I actually like apple and it’s products. Now when I think Apple and anything spewed out of that company, I become so disgusted.
Apple just wants to slow down the impending Android juggernaut!
They have at least one product launch planed for this year and probably an OS upgrade for the iPhone. They do not need or want 20+ handset manufactures directly competing in the same space right now. That includes the pad/tablet markets!
My guess is that Apple probably needs more time to get some truly innovative tech. out the door and Google knows this!
I wonder where both the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) & The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) stand on this one! Will they come to HTC’s legal aid?
Windows came about because of macintosh. Windows saw a good thing and tried it. It wasn’t as succesful but hey there was like 1000 IBMs to 1 mac.
Apple is just being ignorant. If Apple wanted a larger market share, they shouldn’t have limited themselves to only one carrier. But then that would have caused them to loosen the reins. And that is just one thing Apple has never stood for. They have always held their interests tightly. So tightly they almost failed as a company on many occasions. Why is the majority of computers in peoples homes IBM Clones? Apple showed their business model fails in the 80s and 90s. Why they didn’t adapt, I have no clue.
But hey, Apple controls how their phone is used etc. woo. I am needing to upgrade my phone. I wonder if Apple really thinks this will draw me to them?
Steve Jobs is starting to look more and more like Dr. Evil.
I ate an apple today! omg Apple would sue me!
These claims by Apple are baseless and how on Earth did the US patent office grant them such generalised patents and when Apple did not invent most of them???
Google – retaliate by removing your search and maps from Apple products, they don’t deserve to have ’em.
Sour Apple, they just know that their soon to be released new version of iPhone is nothing new and special (like iPad), cannot compete with HTC’s awesome Android and Winmo phones that have the best hardware and most innovative customised UI’s, that they will go to any lenghts to hurt them.
@ Rob Jackson: The lawsuit encompasses all of HTC’s phones, WinMo included.
Make no mistake guys, this is a thinly veiled attack at Google w/ HTC as the collateral damage. Apple has the cash to fight this until HTC is either bankrupt or gives in to Apple’s licensing demands. Decisions in favor of Apple in this case gives them ammo to directly attack Google and/or any device manufacturer who rolls w/ Android. Apple wants to either have Android shutdown, or force any company associated w/ Android to give them a cut on every device sold. Add 1 more reason to my list as to why my household is Apple-less.
Nah….
Microsoft did not steal from Apple, they both stole from Xerox.
There were windowing systems before those two got on board.
I will definitely buy an HTC phone as soon as possible because of this lawsuit.
Apple is butthurt, enough said.
I’m surprised they don’t have a patent on the word “Apple” yet…
HTC isn’t going bankrupt. they have a huge world market. the U.S. is such a small player when it comes to revenue. Compare that to Apple’s worldwide revenue. I don’t think HTC is in trouble.
Join the group to show support of how ridiculous this lawsuit is!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Apple/350260026008?ref=mf
I’m going to patent the act of patenting! I’ll make gazillions! /s
It’s one thing to be protective. It’s another to overlook your own thefts…Palm folk actually own many if not most of the gesture/touchscreen stuff! Amazing.
reading through the list of patents, it’s really pathetic what they’re willing to try to copyright.
Wow this is lame. Apple is like the kid who is too cool and arrogant to loose his cool and throw a punch, looks like they just did…plenty of devices with “slide to unlock” so apple can go suck on their stubs…inb4 apple fanboys support this action by apple.
Losers. Apple is just scared, and now all the iPhone l-users will use this lawsuit as an excuse to gloat like their precious iPhone is now guarded by the law. Idiots. Google can’t help it if Apple wants to maintain a niche market for the rest of their existence. At least Google is trying to do something with this technology for less than $200 a month in phone bills! Another reason Apple is probably scared. You can get two Android phones and pay the same per month as one iPhone. Morons.
This is bs. Jobs is just scared of the N1 hitting Verizon. Thats major competition considering AT&T and Verizon already have the commercials making fun of one another’s service. Id never purchase anything from Apple. What do they really have to offer? Wow I can surf the web with cool icons? I can install ubuntu and its just as nice and free
fuck apple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU&feature=player_embedded
Hmmm…
What was that Steve? It’s ok to steal unless it is stealing from you?
Oops. This has already been mentioned by Anton (36). Sorry.
Apple get a grip. Sure your devices are nice, and millions of people bought your products. That gives you no right to patent every little thing you can think of. Do you really think people are going to stop buying iPhones??? Parenting an unlockscreen? What BS apple every damn touchscreen phone does that, so why take it out on android/HTC?? Apple, you’re making money, shut your mouth and stop complaining. I bet you already have a long list of copyrighted documents regarding the ipad just waiting to sue…
HTC – I’ll backya!!
Suing the competition, so that you desperately grasp to stay on top….There’s an app for that!!!…LOL…Android is Awesome!!!
The more serious concern is what was once a cool and trendy that was anti establishment is becoming what they were against. I hate to say it but Apple as become the new Microsoft and Google is now what Apple use to be.
As someone who typed this on a macbook (that I’ve owned for 6 years) I am frustrated with how these battles are fought. I have a droid and a macbook. They both work great. Why can’t I have both? If someone was able to patent the design of a t-shirt back in the day, they would be gazillionaires, because every t-shirt company after that would have been sued. It’s really just competition-stifling BS. Unfortunate for us consumers who love tech.
I found something interesting!!
“Google Backs Its Boy, HTC, In The Apple Lawsuit Ring”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030203844.html
>>>”…Palm folk actually own many if not most of the gesture/touchscreen stuff!”
And that might be a good reason for Google to just go ahead and buy Palm. If recent financial announcements out of Palm are the trend, the pricetag for that transaction will be dropping.
In any case, yes, the patent system is seriously broken. No matter who it is that holds these ludicrous patents, they only have them because the system is a mess.
Ya know, if Apple would have made the IPhone available to all carriers, this probably would never have happened……just sayin’
I also think that this will bring Android into the limelight even more, and actually elevate HTC in the eyes of the public as a serious competitor to Apple. I’m sure the patents, as worded, can be seen to apply to HTC phones. The only issue is whether HTC can invalidate them or get the patents to be interpreted so strictly that slight differences in the competitor’s products are enough to stay out of the infringement zone. I wouldn’t be surprised if Google, the masters of search, have already prepared for this day by collating all prior art and relevant evidence to counter Apple’s patents.
It’s very clear that Apple is aiming at Android but they couldn’t sue Google because if they did they will lose alot off money so they used HTC a scapegoat .this is pretty damn low from Apple.FU apple.HTC’s name is getting even bigger thanks to your stupid ass lawyers and your fuckin stupidity.
It’s very clear that Apple is aiming at Android but they couldn’t sue Google because if they did they will lose alot off money so they used HTC a scapegoat .this is pretty damn low from Apple.FU apple.HTC’s name is getting even bigger thanks to your stupid ass lawyers and your fuckin stupidity.
Sent from my HTC hero .
Can someone think of a patent Apple have not thought of that infringe there IPod and then sue their butts….. grrr This will not make me buy any Apple products in the future
“Object-Oriented Graphic System”
Wow.. just wow! Which moron issues such patents?
Most of the patents are a joke. Ok, let me help kill one off.
“Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor” — that’s something Linux and heck probably even Windows has been doing for ages. In Linux, it’s called cpufreq. Prior art — patent invalidated.
Ok, Next…
You can’t just look at the title of a patent. While on the surface some of these things look obvious, what the patent could be about is a specific method of implementing something. It’s not just any OO graphical UI that would be patented, but a specific method of using OO to develop a GUI.
There seems like there could be a risk in filing suit on some of these. If the patents are too obviously…obvious, they could be invalidated. Probably not, though. More likely they’re using this as leverage in their own legal defense as Apple is being sued themselves for infringement. They could simply be exposing HTC in an effort to exact a quid pro quo, get mutual licensing and everyone walks away happy.
It could also be that HTC was a bit too liberal in using the exact same methods that Apple has patented, instead of a variant. There’s no way for us to tell.
Maybe now we know why Droid was released without multitouch. Maybe Moto was being more cautious than HTC which could be why it’s HTC and not Moto under the microscope, this time.
The way I see it, Apple’s attack is on the hardware or they would have had a pop at Google. If Apple can stop or a least scare manufacturers from making Android compatable handsets then they would not need to attack Google to put a serious dent in Androids future… Apple may see this as an easier approuch. They will not be doing anything to directly attack their competitor (Android) but may well end up at making some manufacturers think twice about Android!
Think of it like this, if you stop people making tyres to fit a BMW, you stop people driving BMWs.
Ya but that OOGUI patent was issued in 1995. Thats 15 years ago. I am sure someone else has used an OOGUI before now. It is a blatant attack on android.
Again I laugh at Steve Jobs rant against Android. Seems like he was in denial.
This will bring together a lot of the market against Apple.
apple feeling heat from android,screw apple
free publicity for android though
Funny thing about this lawsuit. They are trying to stifle an open source OS. Even if Google said, “ok, we won’t support multitouch in America” and have HTC follow suit, the very smart people at MoDaCo and XDA will just burn a custom ROM that anyone can install onto their rooted device that will have it live.
I would love to see HTC give out the “correct” method of rooting all their devices instead of us having to resort to code bugs. Then release a statement such as: “Anyone who uses this method is at their own peril” So they can sell a phone that someone who doesn’t care can have a standard non-multitouch ROM and give those of us who aren’t afraid of rooting our multitouch.
What I don’t understand is how Apple is allowed to patent pre-existing industry standards in the first place? I agree that a criminal investigation should commence in order to find this out.
seems like they’re all suing each other for something or other.
worst move apple can make. HTC controls manufacturing of all electronics worldwide and can screw over apple big for trying this. Expect to see apple products raise in price real soon as retaliation.
@Matt:lol good point.
@treefq, there’s no way they could release a “use at your own peril” procedure. Even by releasing it they assume liability implicitly. Not to mention that it’s not (only) the manufacturer, but the carrier who often requires these locks. Carriers can be very protective of what they will allow to run on their networks. SMS and MMS are all the rage right now. How long have they been around? Since iPhone? No. They’re much older that that, and have been big in Asia for some time now. So why weren’t they more popular in the US before? In some cases, because networks made them very expensive, if they allowed them at all. The more a phone does, the more network capacity it requires, and that means carriers need to spend money to upgrade, something they have not been willing to do much of in the last decade. The simple solution (for the carrier)? Make sure that your phones don’t allow certain features at all. That means you’re unlikely to see a completely open platform, especially a subsidized one, anytime soon, if ever. And if you manage to root your phone, they will, if they can, find ways of stopping you by voiding warranties or even denying you service (and yes, that’s not only possible, but not even hard).
I can’t believe how many people are against this Apple suing HTC.
I thought there would be a lot of apple fans to support them, but reading other forums… even they are turning against apple.
And i don’t think our opinion will matter in the court anyway.
Apple cant take a tough competition.
Just shows how much Apple are starting to fear Android. I hope Google stands side by side with HTC and teach the scum over at Apple that Their time at the top is coming to an end.
Apple cant stand competition and their patent paddy is clear evidence of it, and the most rediculous thing about this whole thing being that Apple infringed patents from Kodac and other manufacturors in the first place.
Typical apple move.
They start loosing market share and then they sue to get it back!
Microsoft should have never bailed these losers out in 1997. Gates should have left the Apple to rot. How quickly Jobs forgets.
WinMo has just as much to lose in this with HTC developing some of the better WinMo devices out there and WinMo 7 coming up to speed with it’s touch screen. Come on, jump in Microsoft and Google and shut this pompous yuppie down!!
Apple may have missed the obvious with this, attacking HTC is effectively attacking Android and Google will and in fact has thrown its weight behind HTC to protect Android.
Then you have the other handset manufacturers using Android, most larger than HTC (is Apple picking on the boy with glasses?), these themselves must realise that they would be in Apples sights if they succeed against HTC/Google.
Motorola are effectively banking their survival on Android, so it will be in their best interests to get on board with HTC and Google to defend Android.
Next we have Samsung, not in the same do or die situation that Moto are in, but still would not like to see a product stream disappear.
Then we have Sony Ericsson, this is a company that is on the skids, don’t forget that Sony and Ericsson came together in the mobile market because they were failing on their own. They have spent a lot of time a money developing their Android handsets, money they cannot really afford to loose.
So don’t be at all surprised if we see Apple having a legal battle on one hand with Nokia, the largest mobile phone company in the world, whilst fighting pretty much the rest of the mobile phone market in their attack on Android, sorry HTC.
The only outcome of this is some very expensive legal bills for Apple, and a very tarnished reputation that will hit them in their pocket through reduced sales of their products, and more damaging reduced sales through iTunes and the App store.
WOW, this is like the kind of s**t Microsoft pulls!
From what I understand in the States Appple could get an injunction to stop HTC selling/distributing their phone until the legal action is completed. This could take a very long time correct me please if I am wrong or have missed a rason for the law suit.
i love apple but this is bs. if they keep this kind of activity up they will turn into the next microsoft.
This totally explains what kind of ppl Apple are and just having only one kind of phone In my book doesnt make u the most powerful phone company
Hey, just face it Stevie and Billie are just realizing that the people don’t like low-quality, low-tech solutions to their needs… Adios APPLEEE it is time to go the way of the dinosaur that you have become…..
Apple have had it their way too long with the iPhone and I think these new HTC releases have messed up their plans for the forthcoming iPhone 4g (or whatever it maybe). Don’t be surprised if the new iPhone is lacking when it’s released and hopefully the Apple media machine after throwing a ton of cash at it will come to an halt!
This is such BS. really just Android? WinMo and WebOS had multi-touch before Android and still do. But Apple really doesn’t care about patent violations, they just want to kill Android at all costs because Android is the biggest threat. And HTC is the best Android handset maker. Well in this case I hope David slays Goliath and puts Apple to shame.
Yall windows nerds are just upset that Apple knows how to make great products. No viruses on the computers and tons of new innovations with their other electronics. I wouldnt blame them for suing HTC for stealing their ideas. I mean, if we could steal ideas and then use them for ourselves, ill just reinvent the car, call it a droid, and get billions. Seriously, stop crying
@apple the reason apple crap doesnt get viruses isnt beacuse of great products its because they dont have a userbase large enough for virus writers to care. i can and have wrote virus for both win and apple products. But back to the point at hand this is pure bs i hope that apple loses hard on this one let steve cash out while its good and let the company rot away.
@kesh yes this is partly because they have a small userbase but lets be honest here the unix based operating system is natually resistant to things of that nature, while windows on the other hand has so many loop holes that its a wonder that it even works half the time. take windows vista for example if you still dont get it. and ive bootcamped my mac because unfortunately the apple userbase is small and many engineering programs are only available on a windows platform. everytime i start the computer up in windows mode, theres at least 3 to 4 updates that it has to download and then install. and its not even vista its XP which was a solid operating system
I smell the downfall of Iphone :)
apple sue the hell out of the htc!! i hate my htc derisre its a fucked up phone ILY APPLE i want and apple my friends has the new pne i was like let me look at it..it was so kool i cant wait intill i get my iphone4