Apple sues HTC for infringing 20 iPhone patents
By Nilay Patel 
posted March 2nd 2010 11:38AM
posted March 2nd 2010 11:38AM
Looks like Apple's going on the warpath, kids. Just a few months after Cupertino got into it with Nokia over phone patents, Apple's filed suit against HTC, alleging that the company is infringing 20 patents "related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware." Steve, you have something to say?Okay then. We're pulling the complaint filing now, we'll let you know the exact details as soon as we learn them."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," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Update: HTC just gave us a statement -- this is apparently coming totally out of the blue for them, since Apple hasn't even served the complaint yet.
Update 2: We mean it when we say this was all just filed in the past few hours -- it's not yet in the court's systems. We just got the PDFs andWe only learned of Apple's actions based on your stories and Apple's press release. We have not been served yet so we are in no position to comment on the claims. We respect and value patent rights but we are committed to defending our own innovations. We have been innovating and patenting our own technology for 13 years.
[We've now looked at each and every patent in both cases in-depth -- check it out here.]
Update 3: We've just learned that Apple submitted over 700 pages of exhibits to the District Court, which is a little nuts. In addition, the ITC complaint lists a number of specific HTC handsets as exhibits, including the Nexus One, Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, Touch Pro2, Tilt II, Pure, Imagio, Dream / G1, myTouch 3G, Hero, HD2, and Droid Eris. That's really a full range of HTC phones, running both Android and Windows Mobile, with and without Sense / TouchFLO. Interestingly, the Android sets are specifically included because they run Android, while the WinMo sets are called out specifically for including DSP chips, not anything to do with Windows Mobile.
@facethefire
Anything about apple sure does bring out the crazies, on both sides.
Wow... Talk about the pot calling the kettle lack...
Haven't we been through this before? I mean isn't the whole existence of the modern Apple company based on stolen ideas from Xerox?
@eelhc
Ha. You don't hear Xerox complaining. They sold their ideas for some VERY delicious Apple stock.
I love how this, along with iPhone 4, totally pulls the rug from under the WindowsPhone7HubsnotApsSeries Experience.
@Wesscoast
Since you're from the future, can I get some lottery numbers?
It's rediculously to see companies try to get rid of competition by suing the crap out of them. I remember when I company would create a better product. I guess those days are gone.
I cant wait for the day that Apple patented "eating apple" and sues everyone who eats apple.
@Toratohora
Some would say Apple already eats.
I should probably wait until I see what specific patents they're talking about before I jump to any conclusions....but my initial reaction is: FU Apple, burn in hell!!!!!
(Ironically, this is coming from an owner of 3 iPhones, various iPods, a Time Capsule, and a MBP....why am I such a hater??)
@theNEOone
Because Apple is really a terrible company but they make good products
@theNEOone
Ok, I just read the complaint. Although I have to admit that I probably can't appreciate the nuances of these patents, they seem ridiculously broad enough that I would like to double down on my initial reaction. FU Apple, burn in hell!!! And yo momma too!!
=|
Seems like a bit of a red herring, given the recently revealed not-so-nice actions of Apple's main hardware partner, Foxconn...
@Gerusz
Haha, you dumbass, APPLE was the one doing the Audit. They're the one's who caught their suppliers' misdeeds.
@Wesscoast I know that, dumbass (you started it...), but tell that to the public opinion!
No matter who caught Foxconn, they are the ones who will be associated with it, so they created something for the media to chew on instead. And what's easier to create than a lawsuit?
@Gerusz
Walter: "Dumbass!"
@Gerusz Foxconn is a Taiwan company.
@Gerusz
Foxconn assembles a lot of companies products, including HP Dell. You might as well stop using the computer your typing on.
Its always great when people bitch when a company finds and STOPS abuse from a 3rd party.
And its sad. i DO expect people here to have a better understand then most, since you have the article here to read. but you have proven thats not the case.
@Col Forbin I DO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION, I'M TELLING YOU FOR THE NTH TIME!
I know Foxconn manufactures the hardware for a fuckload of companies. Still, PR-wise the situation is the worse for Apple. HP, Dell, etc... collectively don't get as much media coverage as Apple! People won't think of Foxconn as "A company which makes hardware for a lot of companies, including Apple", but as "The company which makes the iPhone". Thus it's more important for Apple to cover up the situation with a noisy lawsuit.
Of course these might be unrelated, but as this lawsuit will take years to end, the only immediate advantage they will get is diverting attention from Foxconn.
@Gerusz
WTF "Thus it's more important for Apple to cover up the situation with a noisy lawsuit"
I dont think you understand, apple in no way was forced to release the INTERNAL audit results. if they wanted to cover it up, then they wouldn't have put it out to the public!!!
AND the board has to approve a lawsuit like this. i dont think they said "lets stop child abuse and coverup a good thing with spending Xamount of millions of dollars with a lawsuit" Does that make sense to you?
@DarkElfa You look sad in that picture. How can we help you be happy again?
Apple was sued by Elan, a Taiwanese touchscreen IC maker, last year. It was widely expected by the analysts that they would settle out of court and Apple would pay Elan USD$100 last week. Negotiation broke out and It did not happen.
Suing Elan's customer, HTC, will change the dispute bargain power.
@xcomme
I can't believe others haven't seen this. This honestly seems like the reason for them to sue. Although it may have dramatic effects on their patents ( I can see a lot of them getting nullified ), it's likely they can drag it out long enough to force elan into the underdog position.
Bravo for good instinct.
Didn't Apple get sued over the same thing a few times now...? *face-palm*
I seriously can't wait to see the details on this!
Which patents is Apple alleging that HTC is infringing on? Are they patents granted to Apple or are they patents that Apple acquired? Would they be easy to work around? How many if any of the patents are likely to hold up in court? If Apple's claims are legitimate, is HTC the only company infringing? Are they the same patents involved in the legal battle with Nokia?
This is pretty exciting stuff!
It's amazing to see how many people are taking sides with out even knowing which patents Apple are suing over. And Apple has been suing a lot of people lately.
It would be nice if they tried something new with the iPhone instead of the minor refreshes they're so fond of.
How long until Apple sues Apple for infringing upon itself?
As much as I love my iPhone this is yet another reason, to switch to the Dell mini 5 when it is released later this year.
@XChrisX I'm with you, but I'd like to see half of these 20 get thrown out ASAP. The more things that get cleared up quickly the better for future device releases. There was the two areas of Android sans-multitouch speculation, the pertinent one was obviously being scared of that mythical multitouch patent which I'll for the sake of argument pretend isn't involved here even though maybe I should.
Will this make anyone at Dell fearfull of releasing any features Apple is suing over? God, I hope not, but worse things have happened.
@juanvaldez I don't think Dell has much to worry about, but all of this mess seems so anti competitive. Almost as if Apple fears what could happen if their iPhone wasn't on top anymore. Again they have built a great handset I have loved using for the past 3 years but, with every new release it just feels like I'm getting more of the same here. However to be fair to Apple, most desktop OS's from osx, to windows really don't change too much from year to year, but with each new handset offering it really leaves you wanting something more than what is being offered by apple, such as multi tasking, and a more open platform.
"So, as we set out this year to defeat the divisive forces that would take the fruit of our innovations away, I want to say those fighting words for everyone within the sound of my voice to hear and to heed, and especially for you, HTC: 'From my cold, dead hands!" Steve Jobs clutching a next generation iPhone raised above his head.
FTW, Stevie!
Just a way of gettin rid of Nexus One, through HTC!!
I love my HTC HD2 and hope none of the features are removed!
It's the HD2 they are after. First they coerced Vodafone UK into shutting of the HD2 and now they have come up with this. Read there footnote in the law suit where as an example Apple mentions that HTC will sell the HD2 in early 2010.Check this link
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=31427&tag=nl.e589
Mwa ha ha...... GO APPLE!
"Apple reinvented the mobile phone in 2007 with its revolutionary iPhone®, and did it again in 2008 with its pioneering App Store, which now offers more than 150,000 mobile applications in over 90 countries. Over 40 million iPhones have been sold worldwide. "
So how is reinventing actually inventing?
@happychappy
*points at Apple's 200 iPhone patents
@Wesscoast* Points at defective legal system*
@Irondog There is no alternative so what are you proposing anarchy?
Yawn.
Gotta love the HTC supersonic coming out soon :)
good. i hate f*cking thieves.
@doozy: then you should also be hating on apple. win-win for you, hating on both in the article? =D
No big surprise here. Good ol' Apple can't take competetion that is actually good competition. This from the company whose next big thing is...(wait for it)...a big iPod/iPhone. Oh yeah it took a lot of creative juice and innovation to say lets make this thing big. And they put even less creative effort into the name, iPad. Slate would have been far better. iPad just sounds like a techno tampon. HTC works hard to put out good looking/functional/useful/desireable devices while Apple only takes a little time to add common functions a year after they should have been added originally, while still neglecting others that people have been asking for for years. Come on Apple...put more attention and effort in your products and devices and less to frivolous lawsuits. - A non-HTC and non-Apple owner (though wants to be at some point)
So it's okay for Apple to steal patented inventions, but yet if one of their competitors do it Apple thinks "...competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." Funny when the shoe is on the other foot isn't it Apple.
When will courts care about the consumer?
@KingFaisal94 Um, no sooner than when we elect people that care about consumers, and that's the optimistic route. Some districts and some court positions you directly elect, there is hope there, then there is the indirect route like Supreme Court, Republicans care about business first (business sometimes meaning established business, and established profits,rather than future business/competition).
These are the guys (Supreme Court) who do things like extend trademark rights every few years so Disney and Bono (not U2) can continue to rake in revenue streams that should have been up years ago. Obviously this isn't going to the Supreme Court, but it is still very relevant.
Srsly, Apple started stealing ideas, when they first brought it to market - there WAS touschscreendevices out there before, so what?
I understand, when they don't agree with chinese KIRFs but this is stupid and nothing more...
@b0rndead
yeah, ok. if you want to count touch screens that didn't work for a damn.
@DarkElfa: I have to agree... didn't they have some dispute over blatantly stealing commercials? Like, the person that made a commercial wouldn't sell the idea so they just ripped it off without even trying to cover it up?
hrm... apple seems to be the pot calling the kettle black today.
The sad part is that the patent office allows apple to patent all this ridiculous stuff. What will be terrible is when Apple gets together with denim manufacturers and patents putting the phone in your pocket.
@JaredMC Stop joking around like that, you might give stevie ideas...
"APPLE", built by kids for kids... That's what they should look into suing.