HTC responds to Apple's patent lawsuit, will 'fully defend itself'
By Nilay Patel 
posted March 18th 2010 12:01AM
posted March 18th 2010 12:01AM
HTC Disagrees with Apple's Actions
Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today outlined its disagreement with Apple's legal actions and reiterated its commitment to creating a portfolio of innovative smartphones that gives consumers a variety of choices. Founded in 1997 with a passion for innovation and a vision for how smartphones would change people's lives, HTC has continually driven this vision by consistently introducing award-winning smartphones with U.S. mobile operators.
"HTC disagrees with Apple's actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. "From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then."
The industry has recognized HTC's contributions through a variety of awards including Fast Company's 2010 Top 50 Most Innovative Companies and MIT Technology Review's 2010 50 Most Innovative Companies. The GSMA also recently awarded the HTC Hero as the "Best Phone of 2009." Some of HTC's technology firsts include:
First Windows PDA (1998)
First Windows Phone (June 2002)
First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005)
First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007)
First Google Android smartphone (October 2008)
First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)
In 2009, HTC launched its branded user experience, HTC Sense. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience was fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate.
"HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. "It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world's most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs."
For more information on HTC's history of innovation, please visit: www.htc.com/history.
Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today outlined its disagreement with Apple's legal actions and reiterated its commitment to creating a portfolio of innovative smartphones that gives consumers a variety of choices. Founded in 1997 with a passion for innovation and a vision for how smartphones would change people's lives, HTC has continually driven this vision by consistently introducing award-winning smartphones with U.S. mobile operators.
"HTC disagrees with Apple's actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. "From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then."
The industry has recognized HTC's contributions through a variety of awards including Fast Company's 2010 Top 50 Most Innovative Companies and MIT Technology Review's 2010 50 Most Innovative Companies. The GSMA also recently awarded the HTC Hero as the "Best Phone of 2009." Some of HTC's technology firsts include:
First Windows PDA (1998)
First Windows Phone (June 2002)
First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005)
First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007)
First Google Android smartphone (October 2008)
First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)
In 2009, HTC launched its branded user experience, HTC Sense. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience was fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate.
"HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. "It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world's most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs."
For more information on HTC's history of innovation, please visit: www.htc.com/history.
The patent system is all about innovation. I define innovation as...
1. something new or different.
2. the act of innovating; introduction of new things or methods.
Remember what smartphones where like before the iPhone? Anyone that says the iPhone doesn't fit the definition above is either, blinded by their fanboy hate or they're the new Stevie Wonder.
Let go back for a sec,
2. the act of innovating; introduction of NEW THINGS or METHODS
The iPhone introduced a NEW METHOD to unlock a touch screen phone with SLIDE TO UNLOCK. Before that other manufacturers used hardware keys to achieve an unlock. In fact Nokia and RIM still do, why should HTC be any different?
The iPhone introduced a NEW METHOD to stop un-intended inputs from the users face during a phone call by using a Proximity Sensor and Accelerometer to turn the screen off. Before that, if you managed to input un-intended touches, then tough luck. HTC need to come up with their own solution for that problem, not use someone else's ideas or solutions.
The iPhone introduced a NEW METHOD for scrolling with gesture based kinetic scrolling, before that users and manifacturers used a stylist pen or scroll wheel on the side of the phone to move up and down in a list or screen. HTC need to find their own method.
The iPhone introduced a NEW METHOD for zooming in on a image or interacting with a touch screen with multitouch. And yes, I know Apple didn't invent multitouch, but they bought the man and the company that did, Wayne Westerman and Finger Works. If you don't know, do some research. What did HTC and Google use for Android before that? A magnifying glass and a zoom in and out button. Nokia uses a circular motion to zoom in and out of an image, they found their own way, why should it be any different for HTC?
The simple fact is that HTC need to find a NEW and DIFFERENT METHOD to achieve what they want for their UI. Unless there's prior art for the NEW and DIFFERENT METHODS I mentioned previously, HTC are going to find it hard to deal with Apple on this one.
@sonola777 You're an idiot. Who owns the patent on "using a button to unlock?"
Want to take a wild guess? I mean, someone had to do it first right, and therefore someone should own the patent no?
Guess what. NOBODY owns that patent. Why? Because it's STUPID. Just because you did something FIRST does not mean that what you did should be patentable!
Yes, Apple came out with the first capacitive touch screen phone. But think about this. The screen is one GIANT button. Do you really think they should own the rights to pressing buttons?
Imagine where keyboards would be right now if someone was allowed to patent "pressing two keys on a keyboard simultaneously." We'd be SCREWED is what. Nobody could use shift, ctrl, function, or apple keys because they would infringe on the patent.
So back to your slide to unlock. So the screen is a giant button. Why should they OWN the rights to making ALL screen based locking mechanisms? Nobody owns the patent on button or switch based locking mechanisms, and WHY should we force all other manufacturers that have a giant touch screen to ALSO include ANOTHER button or switch to unlock because Apple was allowed to make such a moronic patent.
Not sure I mentioned this already, but you're an idiot.
@Gigaflop Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lol, calm down, you might burst a brain vessel or something. Look here you intellectual midget, did you actually read my entire post, or did you just conveniently pick the feature (slide to unlock) that you thought you had the best chance with? What about the rest of the features I mentioned? Just because you have a hard on for Android doesn't change the fact Apple holds the patents and has the right to defend them. Seriously you haters make me laugh. If you had a brain cell, it would die of loneliness.
@AlienSix
that's because the original highestrank was banned so he brought out the henchman #2
Sounds like Apple is simply trying to protect something that belongs to them. Whats wrong with that? Patent laws exist for a reason. Apple shouldn't be crucified here. They have a patent on a product, and someone tried to "illegally" use their patent for profit. The last time I checked, it was bad to do anything illegal.
@cokwara except for the fact that most of apples patents are frivolous, obvious, and tons of prior art out there covering others. I expect to see a lot of them thrown out on those grounds.
Phew. That's a relief. For a moment, I feared HTC was going to half-assedly defend itself, which would have been a disaster. I'm glad they took the time to clear that out.
I own a Motorola DROID mobile phone and its such a copy of the iPhone in many ways, but done better :)
fk u apple
@theone2000 Fk Apple? You should be thanking them for giving Google and Motorola something to copy, oops my bad, something to gain inspiration from.
Apple just needs to die
Have you read this article by Sun's ex CEO?
http://jonathanischwartz.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/good-artists-copy-great-artists-steal/
Steve threatened to sue him back in 2003. Interesting article about patents and how Apple got its innovation.
I hope the Droid takes another bite out of that stupid ass looking apple. Has anyone ever associated Apple's logo with the forbidden fruit reference? Maybe they really are EVIL
I hope Apple wins this lawsuit just to shut you all up.
The iPhone is great, but this and so many other things Apple does lately is just making me want to switch to a GooglePhone even more.
I think neither will win or loose, its going to be long drawn out and in the end HTC is probobly going to end up saying hey lets just settle and apple after going through a long drawn out legal battle says sure, pay us for use of stuff, HTC says we pay less, apple goes fine, whatev's and the worlds as it should be.
While I am all for HTC defending itself as much as it can, Apple despite whatever anyone thinks, has years of experience in exactly this kind of stuff in court.
The company for better or worse is as much a lawsuit powerhouse as it is a technology company. This will get drawn out for a very long time and I hope doesn't hinder HTC from making great phones in the process.
I am simply hoping for a quick ending to this all where HTC is allowed to still make their phones afterwards. Any other outcome SUCKS for all the consumers
@InnocentEd HTC probably has a larger patent portfolio involving mobile tech than apple does. HTC has been making phones long before the 1st iphone ever came out, and likely before the 1st iphone was even envisioned.
HTC has only recently come to be a name people knew of because they started selling the phones under their own label, for years prior they were an OEM maker that made the hardware and a 3rd party would slap their name on it. such as my old phone, the T-Mobile MDA, soon to be replaced with an HTC HD2 next week. The MDA is a rebraded HTC Wizard.
@d0ug Oh I completely agree. I know HTC has been in this game way longer than Apple and is one of the longest standing great mobile phone makers around.
You know Apple is sneaky when it comes to this kind of stuff though, I am just afraid that while HTC could easily be in the right on every stance, it might not matter
I remember when Apple(Jobs) sued HP over the OS system. They lost that one too
@Reggie3
hpOS fanboys.... *sigh...
HTC will pay Apple whatever royalties they have to pay, the suit will be settled and that's that. It's just business.