“HTC Corp. told a London court that the use in its smartphones of touchscreen technology, including the ‘slide-to-unlock’ icon, doesn’t infringe Apple Inc. patents,” Kit Chellel reports for Bloomberg.
“HTC is disputing four Apple patents on zooming in and scrolling between photos, multiple touches on the same screen, unlocking phones, and the use of various alphabets in sending text messages,” Chellel reports. “If HTC wins the London case and invalidates Apple’s patents, it could use the U.K. judgment to help prove during the German trial that it isn’t infringing Apple’s European patents. The German injunctions would ‘have a serious impact on HTC’s business in Europe,’ its lawyers said in written arguments for the London trial… HTC reported first-quarter net income on April 6 that plunged 70 percent from a year earlier to NT$4.46 billion ($150 million) amid competition with Apple…”
Chellel reports, “HTC is “attacking the validity of four patents,” Apple’s lawyer Simon Thorley told the London court this morning. “We say it is clear the inventions make the requisite contributions,” to the field. The trial is scheduled to last until May 4.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s very simple: If you wish to avoid “serious impact” on your business, don’t steal IP.
Related articles:
Apple’s thermonuclear war on Android – March 29, 2012
HTC: pursuing 4G over battery, device size was a mistake – February 6, 2012
With 8.7% market share, Apple reaps 75% of mobile phone profits – February 3, 2012