By 
Another lawsuit has been filed in an ongoing battle between smartphone Android manufacturers and Apple. This time the maker of the iPhone and iPad was on the receiving end, as HTC filed a complaint in a Delaware federal court claiming infringement upon several newly acquired patents. The previous owner of said patents? Google. Their origin? Motorola.
HTC acquired nine patents originating with Motorola Inc., Palm Inc., and Openwave Systems Inc. from Google on September 1st. Four patents first registered by Motorola are being cited in court documents relating to the Delaware case, while three patents first registered with Openwave and two first registered with Palm are part of an infringement complain filed with the US International Trade Commission in Washington.
[via Bloomberg]
Ooooh. I like these dirty tactics!
If you can’t beat ’em . . .
More like, “if your opponent doesn’t play fair…”
Apple started the game, Google will end it
By becoming a patent vendor. HTC admitted that they paid millions for these 9 patents. That is Android’s price. Google will sell patents to those who need them a la carte. Sad day.
if android had not come under legal attack from Apple who have already lost the OS war, google would not have resorted to such tactics, so blame Apple instead. Apple is better than lodsys, but its behavior is as trollish like lodsys when it comes to filing frivolous lawsuits.
In any case, the deal would not be more than some few million dollars, small potatoes for all parties concerned. It is almost like a vaccination shot, would you put a price to that ?
Shit everyone, it’s that troll LouisLouis4. He’s back in his basement.
Ya, that’s right. Screw you apple!
Haha, thats what Apple gets!
I hope one of the many manufacturers suing apple are successful, or all of them for that matter. That company really needs a wake up call, they need to realize they are no longer the only big fish in the sea, they need to either adapt to the competition, evolve or GTFO! While i dont wish upon apple completely loosing out and closing up shop (im all for variety and choice in the market), they do need to be taken down a peg or two and just focus on their products instead of these stupid lawsuits……at this rate it really will be apple vs the rest of the world!
Not only that, but Apple is extremely cocky. They believe they are right and anyone that doesn’t follow them is wrong. I mean, it’s practically a cult. I have no problem with the products they make, but I don’t agree with how they advertise and treat their customers. Is it smart? Well yeah, but they’re straight up douche bags if you say anything negative about their product. If Apple had any say in the government I bet it would be treason to diss an Apple product.
They’re basically repeating themselves though. All this crap happened in the past with Apple and Microsoft and Apple ended up loosing out. The same is happening with Android and iOS. Apple’s close sourced, cocky, and “bully” like ways will be the end of them if they don’t do something.
Personally, I wish Google, HTC, Samsung, etc. (basically the open handset alliance) would come together, agree to share their patents, and all go after Apple together with a “join or die” attitude. Forcing Apple to give up this sue-happy crap.
I don’t agree with this, the better man wouldn’t stoop to their level, we are better than that.
Edit 1:Unless they stop after Apple drops their law suit.
Edit 2: litigation does not equal Innovation
Edit: Would you guys actually read my comment below, I already posted the official statement from HTC and yes they are only defending so I’m cool with it. I don’t want any Android related company to become another Apple and start suing left and right. Some you guys are noobs and can’t comprehend what I was talking about, I didn’t expect all Android users to stay smart once it went main stream.
The better man will also become extinct if they don’t lower themselves to the same level as the one attacking them.
Perhaps one day you’ll evolve from that type of archaic logic, but I doubt it.
Sooo, Samsung’s sales in the dumps in Europe because Apple is using the court system to limit competition, and you’re saying that “the better man shouldn’t stoop to their level” and defend themselves the same way? Manbo’s thinking is far from ‘archaic’, it’s the bitter truth.
Defend and attack are two different words my friend.
I guess it’s all in how one looks at it, I don’t see this as HTC attacking Apple. I think it’s more like this is part of it’s defense from the Apple lawsuits. It’s a bargaining chip. If these patents actually give HTC a win in this battle, it could be used to help settle the suits that Apple filed against HTC.
You can put your hands up and defend all day if you believe that’s the only way, but in the end your still just laying there getting kicked in the face.
Turn and walk away results in getting caught from behind….
You have to swing back at some point.
“Sometimes the best defence is a good offence.” Ever heard the saying?
I agree with phonejunkie below. I don’t see this as an straight up attack by HTC, but more as HTC trying to balance the playingfield abit trying to put an end to Apples lawsuit trigger finger in hopes that they realize they aren’t little kids that wont fight retaliate and back off of them.
You dont consider this defending?
HTC is a big Android OEM,
HTC isnt making any real money with WP7,
I see this as Google helping HTC defend themselves…shows Google hasnt forgot about the other OEMs with the Motorola purchase.
@Aslan Bollin
Well said.
I know where I’m from….if you fighting in the streets….you better not turn your back on your opponent. And do whatever you have to to get the upper hand.
Note to Apple: dont start none—–wont be none….
When you become a major Android OEM and are being attacked by Apple, you can try your tragedy, er…, um, I meant strategy of letting the Apple bully continue to kick you in the balls without fighting back, and we’ll see how it works out for you.
Google: partner with everyone, sue no one.
Apple: partner with no one, sue everyone.
HTC can either give in and stop selling phones, or fight back. You’d rather HTC give up and close shop?
They could defend and make Apple lose it’s case. Samsung came out pretty good the other week when they presented some really good examples of tablets before the iPad and how Apple changed their images.
That’s why they pulled the 7.7.
Yeah but now every other manufacturer has some really good ammo to make Apple look stupid. Overall it was a big time win for Android.
Patents are extremely difficult and expensive to defend against. The patent system is broken. Your advice fails for that reason. The reason it is called patent nuclear war is because the analogy fits. It’s extremely difficult to defend against nuclear weapons. So difficult in fact, that the est defense is deterrence of having your own nuclear stockpile of patents and making sure your opponent believes you are willing to use them.
Google: partner with everyone, sue no one.
Apple: partner with no one, sue everyone.
NO, PLEASE NO.
hTC must live on……
The best defense is a good offense.
“Sometimes” the best defence is a good offence. ;)
In this case….if its the best chance to get leverage, win, Why not?
Note to Apple: dont start none….wont be none….
Omg EPIC!!!!!
And so perfectly orchestrated.
Now we can all say: Google doesn’t sue, HTC does.
They get more support from other Android phone manufacturers because they use the motorola deal to help others too.
It is against Apple and I’m lovin it!
I just hope that Google doesn’t go to far in this. They should sue Apple until Apple stops sueing. If they keep at it and use it offensively rather than defensively, then I will be disapointed.
Till then, let me cherish these moments ^_^
Forgot all about that…
Ppl saying since they are buying Motorola…the other manufactures need to jump ship to WP7 or something else…
This shows Google is still thinking about the other guys..
Go Google Go!!!!!
Just a thought: Not sure how American people feel about Google (an American company) assisting a Taiwanese company to compete against an American company. Given the state of the American economy I wouldn’t be surprised if Google reputation starts to slide if this becomes highly publicised.
ummm where do you really think iPhones come from ?… Now if Apple was making them here in th US, I would agree with you.. They are a reseller.. no difference.
But the $ flows to the US when an iPhone is sold. When HTC sells a phone, it goes to a Taiwan co. Can google be tried for Treason?
I would leave this country if they do something as stupid as trying Google for treason for helping the ‘little guy’.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, unpatriotic tool.
You shouldn’t live in a country that threatens people, especially yourself.
There is a huge push to stop bullying in schools, but Google being tried for treason for helping a victim of a patent bully is okay?
Also, did you see the story on the guy who could get 75 years in prison for recording a video of a conversation HE had with police.
That stuff should not be happening.
Your blind patriotism makes you a fool. All Americans should feel ashamed to be associated with an “American” company like Apple.
Really? I worked for Apple at one time doing support for iTunes and iPhoto, then I and another 1500 people got laid off so Apple could pay people in India 1/3 of our pay to assist you and increase their profit margin. It was just last year (Jan 2010) so it’s not exactly like they were hurting for money at that time. I call that unpatriotic…..
I’m talking about the big leagues here, not temp positions.
Bullshit.. The money still flows to the same countries.. Unless Apple has found a way to get the phones made for free.. It’s the same.. With the apple deal, Apple gets a piece of the pie, and the carriers get a piece.. With the other manufactures, the carriers get a piece.. The only jobs created is steve..
Foxconn “who make the idevices” and are in Taiwan.. made NT 37.5 billion in the first half.. HTC made NT12.65 including profits from Apple “who is also a customer of theirs”.. So you belief that Apple money is all staying in the US.. well bzzzzt.. wrong.
all the manufacturing of iphone is done outside US. Apple does not do much apart from design. They don’t employ as many software engineers as google and microsoft. Probably even facebook has more software engineers on their rolls than Apple. And yes IPhone is pulling in money, mostly from AT&T and Verizon who have to pay through their nose to get the iphone. Yes AT&T and Verizon are the real consumers of iphone, they are the one who then sell it to end users. Not much new wealth is being generated, most of it is transfer of wealth from verizon,AT&T and the european carriers to Apple. The end-users do not see any additional money. Not many new jobs are being created by Apple as all manufacturing of iphone is done by Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China etc.
Bulk of Apple employment apart from the world class designers is in low value retail which only attracts people who could not make it in life. In fact Apple head of retail recently shifted jobs because Apple was not paying enough dough in salary.
And it also depends on who are the shareholders of Apple. If say Chinese mutual funds have some stake in Apple, that means Chinese citizens who invest in those mutual funds are also benefiting from the Apple share price surge.
I’d rather the money go to an American company.
Chalk one up for the good guys
Go Taiwan!
YES! Finally! Apple needs this. Good for you HTC.
LOL at all the Googlers who use MacBooks. Theyre gonna have to eBay them now.
Or just install Linux (or Windows if you MUST) and while their at it, change the small white sheet behind the Apple logo on the case front to some sort of dead/dying anime face. x_X
Work it out Google and keep it up
GOOGLE FTW!!!!
Really? People are worried about Google’s reputation about helping a Taiwanese company and it’s effects on the American Economy, when Apple makes nothing in the states at all. Who wouldnt want to buy a $800 ipad made by Chinese kids? Oh all $200 million of them made so far or whatever the numbers are…and countless iphones sold and not even the prototypes were made in the states….
It’s called taxes.
Prototypes aren’t designed in the US? So Jonny Ives phones it in from Shanghai or something?
Dearest phandroid,
Pretty please with sugar on top hire a developer who doesn’t suck balls so that you’re not the only site I visit that’s almost totally unreadable on my Droid.
Seriously, isn’t it embarrassing to you that you can’t write a simple mobile style sheet?
Thanks,
Your loyal readers
Dear Loyal Reader,
You are aware there is a Phandroid app that accurately formats everything in a nice neat little package, right?
Thanks,
Captain Obvious
Yeah! I don’t understand why everyone isn’t using our app on their phones? o.O
Maybe he is weird, the Phandroid app is one of my oldest apps. I’ve had since it came out.
In his defense, having a separate icon for all your websites is not convenient. And, as far as I know.. you can not put the app in your browsers tab and in a favorite. A mobile site is usually better then a separate app.
That said I surf on a Xoom, so it really don’t matter to me. It’s when sites do not allow me to use desktop mode I get upset.
I stopped using your app after many stories wouldnt load at all.
Has this issue been fixed?
It was annoying to use but than have to return to the browser to view the MANY posts that wouldnt load on your app.
Official from HTC: “HTC will continue to protect its patented inventions against infringement from Apple until such infringement stops. We believe that we have an obligation to protect our business, our industry partners and our customers, who love using our products.” said Grace Lei, General Counsel of HTC.”
Now I’m ok with this since it is only until Apple stops.
Protect its inventions? Didn’t they just BUY them from Google; who got them from Motorola; who got them from…? As far as I’m concerned, they didn’t invent anything. That whole boilerplate response is disingenuous. LMAO. This is quite entertaining. Both HTC and Google look like bafoons. Hahahahahaaaaaaaa..
The way things are now with tech companies is that if you have the money then you invented it.
You can say the same about Apple, who didn’t inventent the Smartphone, Touchscreen, UI, the rectangle, icons, or spoken language…
The inventions he was referring to was the devices HTC has made, not the patents.
You mean devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, PDAs, etc? Which of these or other devices did they invent?
*grabs popcorn*
Quiet, guys! The show’s about to start!
now steve jobs are gone, iphone 6 will be completely copying android.
Yeah, and the hardware will be the same with just a speed boost and a little bit more memory. Not 4G though, that will have to wait until iPhone 7 or 8 before Apple can get it to work right. I mean, uh, until Apple thinks it’s mature enough and wont hurt the “end user experience”
Hell, Steve has been copying since iPhoney4. Look at iOS5 and the “new wonderful notification bar”. Remember great artists steal. LOL
Me thinks Google employs armies right here in the good ol USA. These foreign hardware makers provide the means for Google to grow their product and continue to hire the brightest (and pay them well). Many Americans, including yours truly, rely on Google to grow our stock portfolios. Yeah, that’s right, many Americans own Google stock. We pay taxes and spend right here in the good ol USA.
All these patent infringements are getting a tad silly, but this one did make me chuckle.
Why dont the whole OHA sue apple?
And whose to say the patents HTC bought wont be used in future HTC phones?
Apple shoudnt have started it.
Burn in hell, Apple management!
The last time HTC bought patents to use against iOS they were declared useless and later declared invalid by the ITC. Those patents cost them $300 million. That was a total waste! Now they’re at it again. This time acquiring them from Google. Now if HTC is also paying Google, who created this mess, for these patents, it would be like Microsoft charging their customers for Windows antivirus protection. I can’t help but to laugh.
Google’s Android has indeed become very toxic to their partners.
itroll are toxic too
Can you imagine if all this money was spent on technology advances by apple and android instead of going to lawyers…
Didn’t Gandhi say ” An eye for an eye makes the world go blind” this all needs to stop its getting ridiculous (including the suit Apple just filed against samsung in Japan).
Fuck yeah HTC! Beat the Hell out of ’em!!! ): D