Cell Phone Maker Claims Apple Infringes on Patents

By JESSICA MINTZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Publication: Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia)
Date: Thursday, May 13 2010 

SEATTLE - Taiwanese cell phone maker HTC Corp. said it filed a legal complaint against Apple Inc., saying its iPhone, iPod and iPad devices infringe on HTC patents.

The move escalates a patent dispute between the two electronics companies, as Apple tries to maintain the iPhone's supremacy against Android,

the increasingly popular mobile software upstart from Google Inc.

HTC, which makes several Android phones including the new Droid Incredible, said it filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission on Wednesday seeking to block U.S. sales of the gadgets. In its statement, HTC did not say what patents it believes Apple has violated.

HTC's complaint is not likely to block sales of Apple products any time soon. Patent disputes are common among technology companies and often take years to resolve. The cases often lead to licensing agreements rather than outright bans on imports, as HTC is seeking in its complaint.

Apple filed its own lawsuits against HTC in March, saying HTC's cell phones violate 20 of Apple's iPhone patents. Apple's complaints were made before the trade commission and in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del.

Android phones, like the iPhone, support multitouch screens. Users sweep their fingers across the