By: Steph Dlugon
There’s a calculated and boring war being fought in the world of mobile technology. Apple is the latest company to launch an offensive over perceived patent infringement.
Apple claims that Taiwan-based phone manufacturer HTC has violated 20 patents that pertain to the iPhone’s user interface, architecture and hardware. Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said in a press release: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it.” Mr. Jobs added: “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Apple too has been sued over the years for patent infringement.
In one case, Scottish technology and research firm Picsel
“claims that Apple has implemented a key component from Picsel’s mobile rendering functionality, which enables users to scan through all kinds of on-screen content without experiencing prolonged screen update cycles. Without Picsel’s technology, users can be subjected to prolonged delays while “zooming” and “panning” documents, Web pages, and images. This core rendering feature is a key contributor to the unique visual experience delivered by Picsel.”
St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants also sued Apple for patent infringement pertaining to the iPhone camera. The Michigan-based organization went after Sony for violating the same set of patents and was awarded $25 Million in damages. Next, they took on Canon and won $34 million.
To date, Apple has filed over 200 patents pertaining to the iPhone.
