Dirty Details: Apple Lawsuit Attacks Android

• Rob Jackson
• 15 years ago

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.