In case you missed it, the big Tech News this week is that Apple is suing HTC, the makers of the Nexus Onesmart phone, for patent infringement. The Nexus One utilizes Google's Android 2.1 operating system software. Google is not named in the suit even though most of the patents named are related to the operating system, not the hardware.
The suit claims HTC violated 20 of Apple's patents, some recent, most 10 years old or more. Most of the patents are broadly defined ("Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image") or quite basic (conserving power by reducing voltage).
Most companies these days build large portfolios of patents. Most use them in countersuit situations, like Apple is doing in it's own patent infringement defense against Nokia. What makes this case disturbing is that Apple appears to be simply using the much smaller HTC to strike at its former friend Google. A direct attack against Google would be much more difficult and costlier simply because Google has a larger war chest and bigger guns than HTC.
Apple is just your basic schoolyard bully in this case. It should be noted that Apple has a good number of "innovations" that were simply features borrowed and extended royalty-free from pre-existing technologies (google: Xerox GUI Apple).
Even more surprising in this case is that Apple is tarnishing their image while giving the Nexus One and Droid free publicity. A lot of the techie's that are driving the smart phone market are taking a good long look at the Nexus One now, just to see what Apple is so afraid of. It just might be better than the iPhone!
In my opinion Apple has never been that nice little company their ads like to portray so well. I believe Apple is what everyone accuses Microsoft of being, only worse. Look for the Anti-Trust suits to start against Apple in the near future.
Hopefully Apple doesn't have a patent on "Using a Hand-based Extremity to Strike a Group of Alphabet Labeled Objects to Create Text Images on a Screen". Hmmm, maybe I should go see a patent lawyer ...
I didn't know this. Thanks Wayne - another good job!
Posted by: debbie | March 05, 2010 at 01:42 PM