Apple accuses Taiwan smart-phone maker of patent infringement
Apple Inc. on Tuesday said it was suing smart-phone maker HTC Corp., alleging that the Taiwan company infringed on 20 Apple patents associated with the popular iPhone.
The lawsuits were filed with both the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court in Delaware and accuse HTC of stealing the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware, Apple said.
Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 and has since sold more than 40 million units, the Cupertino, Calif., company said. HTC produces the Nexus One phone, which uses the Android operating system and is designed and sold by Google Inc. directly to consumers.
“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,” Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a statement. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
According to the filings, the violated patents include unlocking mechanisms, power conservation efforts, touch-screen scrolling, scaling and rotating capabilities. Apple is seeking monetary damages and an injunction that would prevent HTC from using, selling and marketing products breaching the patents in the U.S.
HTC has yet to see the filings and considers it “too premature to comment,” said spokeswoman Linda Mills.
“HTC values patent rights and their enforcement but is also committed to defending its own technology innovations,” the company said in a statement. “Until we have had this opportunity, we are unable to comment on the validity of the claims being made against HTC.”
