iPhone 5: HTC, Samsung to sue Apple

[Daredevil]

iPhone 5: HTC, Samsung to sue Apple

Just a day ahead of iPhone 5 launch, Apple seems to be heading into legal trouble over the much-awaited device. Taiwanese electronic giant HTC aims to block iPhone 5's import in the US for patent violation. The Taiwanese manufacturer claims that Apple's new iPad and the upcoming iPhone 5 infringe upon two of its patents that ensure reliable data transfer in large volumes, according to a story in the Bloomberg Businessweek. The company has filed a case in the International Trade Commission in this matter.

Apple and HTC have been fighting court cases over patent violation since the past two years and a win for the latter will mean that it will earn a huge sum in settlement from the former. Apple's phones and tablets are manufactured in China and imported into US and the rest of the world. A win in this case will mean that Apple will have to negotiate terms with HTC in order to sell its two top-selling products or remove the technology that violates the said patents from the device. If Apple ends up eliminating the LTE technology from the two devices, it will be far behind competitors like Samsung, whose devices already support high-speed data transfers over 4G connections.

HTC reportedly acquired the patents from ADC Telecommunications when it launched its first LTE phone, Thunderbolt. Judge Thomas Pender, who is overseeing the case, reportedly told Apple's legal counsel "I don't care if they bought these patents to sue you or not. They are a property right."

According to a story in Korea Times, Samsung has also decided to file a patent infringement complaint against Apple over the new iPhone's 4G LTE patent infringement. As per the report, the South Korean company is targeting the European and US markets with this lawsuit. This development came soon after reports said Apple will be using 4G data transfer technology in the upcoming edition of iPhone.

 

[devgupt]

As you sow, so will you reap

 

[pmaitra]

Apple very much deserves this. They sued Samsung over some really silly issues:

Anyway, per Ian Sherr and Jessica Vascellaro in the WSJ, here are the things Apple says Samsung ripped off:

• The "slide-to-unlock" feature in which you unlock your touch-screen phone by sliding your finger across the screen.
• Searching multiple sources of information at once, which is something that Apple's Siri gimmick does when it's trying to provide information to you
• Detecting phone numbers in emails so you can just tap the number to call someone (a highly useful feature).
• A built-in spell-check that suggests alternatives when you misspell something.

Now, did Samsung rip these features off?

Read more: Apple Sues Samsung For 'Slide-To-Unlock' And Other Ludicrous iPhone Patent Violations - Business Insider