Earlier this month, Apple brought a lawsuit against HTC, alleging that the Taiwanese manufacturer infringes on several mobile patents held by Apple. Later, a judge agreed with Apple and said that HTC infringes on two of the 10 patents that the iPhone maker holds. However, the Taiwanese-based smartphone maker said it will defend its technologies vigorously, or come to some sort of agreement with Apple.
Clearly, HTC has quite a bit to lose because of the judge’s ruling, but it is hoping to hash it out with Apple and come to some kind of settlement – whether that involves licensing agreements or otherwise is entirely up to Steve Jobs and company. Industry commentators are speculating that Apple won’t be inclined to work with HTC in this case, but representatives were unavailable for comment.
It seems that Apple has been bringing the legal heat against its Android competitors these days. There is an ongoing legal tussle between the iPhone maker and Samsung, maker of the Galaxy S series of smartphones and tablets. Apple accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its designs and technology, and that the Galaxy S products lacked any real innovation or originality. The two have sued each other in several countries across the globe, and it seems like there is really no end in sight.
Google executive Eric Schmidt says that Apple is busy hurling lawsuits at manufacturers using the Android platform, rather than innovating. The comment doesn’t come without a hint of irony, given Android’s progress before and after the iPhone was announced, but it does seem true that a deluge of lawsuits has come flowing out of the Apple headquarters as of late.
What do you think? Should the iPhone maker sit with competitors who want to work on settlement agreements? Or should the Cupertino-based company stick to its guns and mow down anyone and everyone it feels is standing in its way? Let us know your thoughts.
[Via: PaidContent, image]