Cupertino,
Calif. – Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Tuesday
that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC, the Taiwan-based manufacturer
of Google’s (NASD: GOOG) Android smartphones. The company alleges that HTC is infringing on
20 of its patents related to the iPhone user interface, underlying architecture
and hardware.
HTC is the maker of a range of smartphones that utilize Google’s
Android mobile operating system, including Motorola’s Droid and Google’s own
Nexus One.
The suit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade
Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.
"We can sit by and watch
competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about
it," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
"We think competition is healthy, but
competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Apple
in December also filed suit against Nokia, claiming that the company violated
13 of its iPhone patents.
More than 40 million iPhones have been sold worldwide
since their introduction in 2007.
Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/03/02patents.html
Well there’s apple calling the kettle black. Apple would absolutely nowhere if they hadn’t taken Zerox’s original design and architecture in the first place. Oh boo hoo to you Jobs. Get over yourself. Period full stop.
Looks like Jobs is a little scared that Android will be embraced by a range of manufacturers and produce a product that can compete with the iPhone.
Android is still a little too complicated for the mass market but if someone can provide an overlay which only gives users access to the things they care about then boom!