Today sees Apple's legal hounds take on handset maker HTC. Apple claims the company is infringing on nearly two dozen iPhone patents.
According to Apple, HTC is infringing on 20 patents relating to the iPhone user interface.
Court documents can be found here.
Apple today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.
"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
HTC has the following statement:
HTC is a mobile technology innovator and patent holder that has been very focused over the past 13 years on creating many of the most innovative smartphones. HTC values patent rights and their enforcement but is also committed to defending its own technology innovations.
HTC only learned of Apple’s actions this morning via media reports, and therefore we have not yet had the opportunity to investigate the filings. Until we have had this opportunity, we are unable to comment on the validity of the claims being made against HTC.
Here are the patents listed in the filing:
Here is a copy of Apple's ITC filing (PDF).
The scope of the infringements is huge, and the devices involved range from the Nexus One "Googlephone", the T-Mobile G1, the HTC Hero to pretty much every Windows Mobile handset HTC has made.