Having 20 patent infringement lawsuits being filed against a company is more than just a severe legal action, it is also an insult to the work and effort of many of HTC’s engineers and designers. Any artist would consider it an affront to have their work credited as unoriginal, and it is with this same passion that HTC is now defending itself against Apple’s claims that the company has indeed infringed on existing patents.
HTC has been in the mobile device market for a long time where they have played a crucial role in the growth and development of the Windows Pocket PC. They before they even became a part of the Open Handset Alliance, HTC was already at the forefront of mobile phone technology with their many innovations in regards to touch screens, menus and hardware.
To quote HTC CEO Peter Chou:
“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible. From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”
Jason Mackenzie, VP of HTC USA also added “HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators. It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world’s most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs.”
For more information about the HTC-Apple lawsuit, go to Softpedia.