Sues Apple over new patent infringements in smartphones
HTC has sued Apple again, this time using the nine new patents that the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer bought from Google last week.
Four of the nine new patents are believed to be from Motorola, three from Openwave Systems and two from Palm.
Patent wars have hotted up, as mobile phone companies seek to get a bigger slice of the smartphone and tablet market pie, which has grown significantly over the last year.
Creator of the tablet market Apple has sued many rivals including HTC and Samsung over patent infringements in several countries. The company is also facing counter lawsuits from rivals.
Recently, Google bolstered its patent portfolio after buying over 1,000 patents from IBM and acquiring mobile manufacturer Motorola Mobility.
The search engine company, which provides the Android OS platform for smartphone makers, has accused Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies of banding together to wage a hostile, organised campaign against its OS.
"Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies," Google chief executive Larry Page has said.
HTC faces patent infringement cases from Apple. The transfer of the nine patents from Google makes Asia’s second-biggest smartphone maker stronger in its fight agai8nst Apple which claims that HTC phones running Google’s Android operating system copy the iPhone.
Last year in March, Apple had sued HTC for 20 patents infringement in a Delaware court. The company sued HTC again this year in July.
HTC had said that it would "vigorously" fight against such claims.
HTC general counsel had said, "HTC is dismayed that Apple has resorted to competition in the courts rather than the marketplace."
"HTC continues to vehemently deny all of Apple’s past and present claims against it and will continue to protect and defend its own intellectual property as it has already done this year."
HTC has also told Bloomberg that the company is ready for an outside the court settlement.
HTC and Apple "have to sit down and figure it out," HTC Chief Financial Officer Winston Yung said.
"We’re open to having discussions," he told Bloomberg.
