Analyzing The HTC Apple Patent Fight
March 3rd, 2010
The list of complaints we posted yesterday was pretty dense in legal speak, so we’re happy that Engadget have gone through each of the 20 patents and explained what they mean in normal speak. Unsurprisingly some of these are extremely broad, to the almost patent troll levels of claiming ownership of unlocking a screen using a gesture. Many of them are very technical, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a substantial amount of legal wrangling to understand how—if at all—these patents are violated.
In response to the lawsuit, Google have come out in support of HTC, 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.”
The New York Times raises the interesting question about what would happen to people who already own HTC handsets if Apple wins the injunction. Will a firmware update cripple the offending functionality? That would be a significant problem for end users, and won’t get Apple any positive press.
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