Turnabout is fair play in patent wars, or at least standard practice.
HTC, the Taiwanese handset maker that produces many popular Android devices, has filed suit against Apple, asking the International Trade Commission to ban the importation and sale of Apple’s mobile devices. The lawsuit was a widely expected response to Apple’s own infringement suit against HTC.
Enterprise Mobile Today has the details on the latest turn in the patent wars between HTC and Apple.
Taiwanese smartphone player HTC fired back at Apple today, suing the iPhone maker for patent infringement, claiming the company is in violation of five HTC patents.
The move follows Apple’s own lawsuit against HTC, which manufactures a number of Android- and Windows Mobile devices. But in its own countersuit against Apple, HTC added the twist of asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban sales of iPhones, iPads and iPods in the United States.
In a complaint filed with the ITC, HTC accused Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) of infringing on its patents related to cell phone directory hardware and software and to power management technology in portable devices. The patents involve technology that helps devices like the iPhone manage power and handle phone directories, while another cover the ability for the iPad to store data when in sleep mode, among other applications.