Google Backs HTC in Legal Dispute with Apple

On February 3rd, 2010, Apple sued Taiwan-based smartphone manufacturer HTC for infringing on patents that related to the iPhone’s user interface, as well as its underlying architecture and hardware. Apple filed the lawsuit with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. District Court in Delaware. HTC claims it didn't copy Apple. Google evidently backs HTC citing the Android operating system that HTC handsets run on.

Insisting that it designed and developed its own user interface for HTC Sense, the manufacturer said, "HTC is a mobile technology innovator and patent holder focused on creating many of the most innovative smartphones in the past 13 years." It added that it had no plans to counter-sue Apple, as of yet.

A Google spokesperson is also vocal on the matter, according to SlashGear, saying, "We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it."

According to several reports, Apple specifically referred to a number of Android-based devices in its lawsuit, while also mentioning several Windows Mobile handsets. At least one of the patents relates to "Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image." Apple is seeking a permanent injunction that would stop HTC from selling devices in the United States of America, according to the court filings.

Noting that the Apple – HTC patent dispute is bad for everyone, Eric Von Hippel, a professor at the Sloan School of Management, said, "It’s a bad scene right now. The social value of patents was supposed to be to encourage innovation — that’s what society gets out of it. The net effect is that they decrease innovation, and in the end, the public loses out."

Apple is also embroiled in a legal dispute with Nokia over similar claims. As the mobile marketplace becomes crowded, more and more handset makers are suing each other over patents related to their hardware and software.