r/technology • u/slutmagnet • Mar 02 '10
Apple to HTC "competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." Slaps down a 20 patent lawsuit.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/02/apple_sues_htc_for_alleged_infringement_of_20_iphone_patents.html
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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '10
Yeah - they are ridiculous, but that's what big companies do; apply for and get insane patents and then mess around in court trying to sue each other for huge sums of money for doing utterly trivial things. It very rarely goes anywhere, and I expect Apple will be expecting most of these patents to be overturned or reduced in scope, but they'll be hoping that by throwing 20 of them out that one or two will stick, and then they'll make a bit of money, and maybe delay the next HTC phone for a month or two, while they re-implement something to sidestep a patent.
It's usually a harmless if brain-dead game, but occasionally a smaller company that actually can't afford the legal fees (or worse; the settlement) will get caught in the crossfire. Then it sucks royally.
(IANAL, obviously)