Apple on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against HTC, alleging that the Taiwanese smartphone maker has violated several patents related to the iPhone hardware and interface. But the salvo is as much a shot across the bow of Google, Apples increasingly competitive rival.
We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a press release. Weve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.
The patents listed in the complaint are related to touchscreens, multitouch gestures, graphical user interfaces, signal processing and other features Apple uses in its iPhone. Apple also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission in an effort to block imports of handsets that violated the patents cited in the lawsuit.
Apples lawsuit can be construed as an indirect attack on Google, whose Android operating system powers the Nexus One to mimic some of the iPhones capabilities, such as multitouch gestural input. Apples complaint filed to the International Trade Commission explicitly accuses HTCs Android-based products for infringing the patents. HTC also sells phones running Microsofts Windows Mobile OS, but Apple does not call out Windows phones. And it was only a month ago that Google updated the OS on the Nexus One to include pinch-to-zoom functionality.
Given the enormity of HTC and the rapidly growing Android platform, the lawsuit could very well influence the way touchscreen phones are made in general.
The lawsuit underscores rising tension between Apple and Google. The two corporations became more direct competitors in the past year with the release of Android and the introduction of the Chrome OS for netbooks. Googles CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apples board of directors due to conflicts of interest. Though Jobs made the departure sound amicable, he reportedly called Googles Dont Be Evil mantra a load of crap during a recent town hall meeting with Apple staff. And it still isnt entirely clear why a Google Voice app is at best in iPhone approval process limbo.
Suing HTC may be a roundabout way to attack Google, but if successful, it would be a powerful blow against the search giant. HTC is both Googles strongest partner and the fourth largest smartphone maker after Nokia. HTCs Nexus One has been unofficially dubbed the Google Phone.
We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a press release. Weve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.
The patents listed in the complaint are related to touchscreens, multitouch gestures, graphical user interfaces, signal processing and other features Apple uses in its iPhone. Apple also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission in an effort to block imports of handsets that violated the patents cited in the lawsuit.
Apples lawsuit can be construed as an indirect attack on Google, whose Android operating system powers the Nexus One to mimic some of the iPhones capabilities, such as multitouch gestural input. Apples complaint filed to the International Trade Commission explicitly accuses HTCs Android-based products for infringing the patents. HTC also sells phones running Microsofts Windows Mobile OS, but Apple does not call out Windows phones. And it was only a month ago that Google updated the OS on the Nexus One to include pinch-to-zoom functionality.
Given the enormity of HTC and the rapidly growing Android platform, the lawsuit could very well influence the way touchscreen phones are made in general.
The lawsuit underscores rising tension between Apple and Google. The two corporations became more direct competitors in the past year with the release of Android and the introduction of the Chrome OS for netbooks. Googles CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apples board of directors due to conflicts of interest. Though Jobs made the departure sound amicable, he reportedly called Googles Dont Be Evil mantra a load of crap during a recent town hall meeting with Apple staff. And it still isnt entirely clear why a Google Voice app is at best in iPhone approval process limbo.
Suing HTC may be a roundabout way to attack Google, but if successful, it would be a powerful blow against the search giant. HTC is both Googles strongest partner and the fourth largest smartphone maker after Nokia. HTCs Nexus One has been unofficially dubbed the Google Phone.
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