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HTC Files Patent Complaint Against Apple

5:48 pm on May 12, 2010 | Category: Business, Cell Phones, Law, Mobile Devices

Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer, HTC, has filed a patent complaint against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking to ban the import of iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.

HTC alleges that Apple’s products infringe on five of its patents, and says it is “taking this action … to protect our intellectual property, our industrial partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones.”

HTC’s complaint is the latest chapter in a broader patent war between the two companies. Apple filed its own intellectual property lawsuit in March, alleging that HTC had infringed 20 of its iPhone-related patents.

Industry experts are not surprised that the dispute is escalating, but say it is unlikely that the ITC will move to ban any products from the U.S. market.

“It’s tit-for-tat to a degree because Apple sued HTC first and this is HTC fighting back,” said Gartner analyst, Van Baker. “It is not uncommon to have potential patent infringements as new products come to market. Usually they are worked out via some cross-licensing deal but in the interim it is highly unlikely anyone will be shut out of the market.”

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