HTC Defends Against Lawsuit, Reminds Apple They Were Here First
While Apple may be the older company, HTC has been in the mobile industry longer. Before the iPhone, HTC had already made a name for itself with its smart devices and Pocket PCs. They even attracted the attention of Microsoft who turned HTC into a partner in developing Windows Pocket PC.
When HTC grew, they ventured into the mobile phone industry where they became a partner for Google’s Android OS. They made the HTC Dream –the first Android smart phone, and the Nexus One –the first Google branded Android device. It is because of these that the recently claimed lawsuit from Apple accusing HTC of patent infringement comes as an insult to HTC’s long history in the industry.
A few days ago, Peter Chou stated that “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.”
The HTC CEO also said “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 lawsuit covers 20 patents for hardware and software, focusing on HTC mobile phones that use the Android OS. Google has also reacted by stating that they will stand behind and support HTC in this case. Despite not being directly involved, Google recognizes the lawsuit as Apple’s own tactics against the Android OS.
For more information about HTC’s defense against Apple, go to ZD Net.
