• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Apple Sues HTC For Patent Infringement

Status
Not open for further replies.

phandroid

Admin News Bot
Apr 12, 2008
10,396
383
This could be big – Apple just sued HTC for patent infringement on 20 different patents related to the iPhone’s User Interface. I’m guessing the bulk of those accusations are regarding HTC Sense elements and specific functionality like, perhaps… pinch-to-zoom. Here is the press release from Apple: Apple Sues HTC for Patent Infringement CUPERTINO, California
 
Drat. Well, I guess this was expected. Jobs has appeared grumpy lately in the press as Android has been gaining traction and besting the iPhone in key ways. I am interested to learn what the 20 items are. Pinch zoom is in use by multiple vendors at this point and I've never understood the attempt to patent basic interface elements. It's a modern version of a keyboard or mouse for crying out loud...
 
Upvote 0
Thank god that I live in the UK, but does that mean that the US can't get the new phones until the 15 months are up and they have decided?


nah......even if apple were to win and get everything they ever wanted and asked for, you cant stop others from 'infringing' until a ruling is made, so companies will continue to rake in the big bucks and pay apple a settlement and you will wake up one day and your pinch and zoom feature will be gone and everyone keeps moving forward, while everyone whines about their bottom line profits for about 6 months and then it gets reported that everyone involved has turned record profit and this thread just becomes wasted space on someones server.
 
Upvote 0
With 20 different patents it's more than just pinch zoom. I suspect it will be a number of basic interface items. It's hard to imagine 20 patents dealing with the interface alone and not involving the Android OS.

HTC has been making successful "smartphones" much longer than Apple. It makes me wonder what patent infringements they could hit Apple with. You can check out some of the HTC history at: History of HTC (Phone Arena News)
 
Upvote 0
C'mon we all saw this coming. HTC was going down from the start. So many of their Sense elements are BLATANT rip-offs of Apple UI/UX. IMO, it's a good move for Apple and hopefully will drive innovation. However, I don't know what this will mean with regards to MT/P2Z for Android. Just when it was about to get good, I think Apple will end up lowering the hammer on Google after they can set a precedence with HTC. Go after the small guy, win that case, then go after Google.
 
Upvote 0
if they are suing because of pinch and zoom then i say take it out. never owned an iphone or itouch so i never used that feature. i don't use it now even though it is available.
go Droid!

I believe it's beyond P2Z. If you read the patent material for their multi-touch interface, it's not so much patent on the ability to use multiple input touches, or even moving items around on a computer. It applies to mobile devices and incorporates P2Z, but also swiping to advance in the gallery. Stuff like that. I think Google understood this so that the gallery in 2.1 isn't even a Google-made app... It was developed by CoolIris.
 
Upvote 0
This is the multi-touch patent infringement:

The '949 Patent, entitled "Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics," was duly and legally issued on January 20, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the '949 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
 
Upvote 0
I just read through the 40-page suit and wow, Apple has patent a lot of tech that seems to mundane and natural for mobile device UI, down to the slide to unlock and how apps communicate with other apps. As I see it, Google will eventually be implicated. But HTC is the current Google money maker, having more Android devices than anyone.
 
Upvote 0
The things they listed are just ridiculous. Maybe someone should sue Apple for using the feature of "clicking" on an icon to open an application... that's been around for ages.

Well, that's what Nokia is doing. Not for clicking, but other phone technology IP they've infringed upon. I think Apple is doing this because they know Nokia will win. Nokia is suing Apple based on a precedent that ended favorably for Nokia. I think you'll see HTC being allowed to continue to use the tech, so long as they pay Apple. Or, Apple could kill HTC all together.

Really, the only other company that has anything on Apple is Palm.
 
Upvote 0
Apple is going after Android. They mention the Nexus One which doesn't have Sense UI. So I say **** Apple and will love seeing HTC and Google kick Steve Jobs's ass.

Actually, the Nexus One I think was brought into demonstrate its violation of multi-touch, pinch-zoom, particularly in the Gallery Application. But that app was developed by CoolIris, not Google. So, it would just mean that Google needs to remove that application from Android 2.1.
 
Upvote 0
Actually, the Nexus One I think was brought into demonstrate its violation of multi-touch, pinch-zoom, particularly in the Gallery Application. But that app was developed by CoolIris, not Google. So, it would just mean that Google needs to remove that application from Android 2.1.

What about maps and the browser? Google will eventually be bought into this as they are responsible for those two apps.
The Nexus One is even branded as a Google handset and was jointly developed by them, yet Google haven't been touched so far.
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones