It looks like Apple will still be in for a long litigation process if they are really going to push through with the patent infringement lawsuit against the Taiwanese manufacturer.
HTC has recently declared that they will be defending their technologies and will be presenting their own patents as proof that they have not stolen any technology from Apple. With Apple’s main offense being that they own the patents in question, HTC might be showing evidence to prove that they developed the technology on their own –if not ahead of Apple.
Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, says that “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.”
Peter also adds that the company is a key innovator in the tech industry, adding: “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.”
With 20 patents for both hardware and software innovations, it is likely that the court proceedings will be costly and will take plenty of time. Most of the affected devices in the lawsuit are primarily Android smart phones –which emphasizes the theory that Apple’s lawsuit is actually an attack against Google and the Android mobile platform. Google has since stated that they will stand behind HTC in this case.
Get to know more about the HTC’s statements in regards to the lawsuit from Apple at TMC News.