HTC Fires A Patent Lawsuit Back At Apple

Remember when Apple used to be the poor underdog, and everyone referred to Microsoft as M$? Boy, times have changed. Apple has been involved in more corporate drama the past few months than any other big name company that we can think of, with the Adobe vs. Apple battle still raging on, a riff between Apple and Google only growing stronger, and now, a lawsuit battle between two of the world's most prominent smartphone makers.

Just a few short months after Apple sued HTC for patent infringement, HTC has struck back with a lawsuit of their own, and it's over the same top. The press release spells out the lawsuit, which highlights five HTC patents in particular in which Apple is allegedly abusing without paying royalties. The suit was filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and HTC is asking for them to "halt the importation and sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States." This wording leads us to believe that the patents being infringed upon are all wrapped up within the iPhone OS, which each of these three devices run on. Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation, had this to say about the matter:

"As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible. We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."

Other specific details weren't available, but we doubt this is last we'll hear of this. It's clear that these two companies are out for each other, and neither looks to be backing down soon. Will this actually go to court? Will the ITC actually halt the import of Apple's most popular products? Time will tell, but we'll enjoy the drama while all of this sorts itself out.