Andre Yoskowitz
12 May 2010 17:01
In early March, Apple sued rival smartphone maker HTC over violation of patents related to the iPhone, accusing HTC of infringing on up to 20 patents relating to the popular smartphone's hardware and user interface.
Today, HTC has counter-sued, claiming that Apple is infringing on five of their own patents.
The device maker is asking the International Trade Commission (ITC) to halt all sales and import of the Apple iPhone 3G/S, iPad and iPod Touch.
Says HTC in a press statement: "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."
From their end, Apple is looking for monetary damages and an injunction that would block HTC from selling most of their smartphones in the U.S.