Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is at it again. They recently filed their third complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against HTC Corp (TPE:2498). This patent infringement targets twenty-nine devices that are supposedly infringing on a data detectors patent from Apple. Such devices include Sensations 4G, Incredible 2, HTC One X, and Evo 4G LTE.
Just last December, the ITC injunction-ed HTC Corp (TPE:2498) over U.S. Patent Number 5, 946,647. The cellphone maker soon worked on a development to avoid infringement complaints. Unfortunately, the shipments were stalled from the U.S. Customs.
Apple now claims that HTC is still infringing on the ‘647 which was named “System and Method for Performing an Action on a Structure Computer-Generated Data”. The purpose of this invention is to outline technology for automated detection of specific data information such as hyperlinks and email addresses. Apple launched their “data detectors” Advanced Technology Group back in the mid-nineties. They requested that the ITC start an emergency proceeding so they can enforce an action to prevent even further infringement.
When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) filed their complaint included two screenshots of HTC handsets as means to provide proof. FOSS Patents’ Florian Mueller claims that Apple’s patented invention is less about the interface and more about the data structure operations.
HTC is a technology company based in Taiwan that specializes in creating smartphones, many of which utilize Google’s Android operating system. Google happens to be one of Apple.
In late May, the United States customs allowed select phone models through the inspections, but HTC did not disclose which ones did.
Apple is working hard trying to fight it’s competition with patent lawsuits. They have filed many lawsuits against HTC and Samsung in hopes to crush their competition but is this a good thing for their company? According to an interesting opinion piece from ZDNet’s James Kendrick, enough is enough! He thinks that if Apple really wants to focus on eliminating all things Android, they should keep their focus straight on the source: Google and the actual platform.
I think he’s got a great point but I have a feeling that Apple has a strategy. I’m guessing that they want to go after the makers/providers first in order to get them out of the picture before going directly to Google last. Google is a big company and Apple may be intimidated, that’s probably why their trying to dissolve the smaller companies first.
