Some HTC Devices Found Infringing Apple's Patents - Banned Starting April 19, 2012

[Akshay Masand]

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has just recently ruled in the favor of Apple in the Apple vs. HTC patent lawsuit regarding mobile devices (in the United States). According to the ITC, HTC is found guilty of violating Apple patent 5946647, which can be found below via Google’s Patent Search:

A system and method causes a computer to detect and perform actions on structures identified in computer data. The system provides an analyzer server, an application program interface, a user interface and an action processor. The analyzer server receives from an application running concurrently data having recognizable structures, uses a pattern analysis unit, such as a parser or fast string search function, to detect structures in the data, and links relevant actions to the detected structures. The application program interface communicates with the application running concurrently, and transmits relevant information to the user interface. Thus, the user interface can present and enable selection of the detected structures, and upon selection of a detected structure, present the linked candidate actions. Upon selection of an action, the action processor performs the action on the detected structure.

Basically, the patent involves the phone’s software and causes HTC’s violating products to be subject to an important ban on April 19, 2012. The ITC is allowed to continue shipping replacement devices for currently shipping products but that’s it.

As you may have guessed, a ban on certain HTC products is a big hit to the company. Since it is software based, other Android device manufacturers won’t be too pleased. Luckily for HTC the patent Apple managed to enforce is one of medium value. If HTC was accused of infringing patents on realtime signal processing, then the company could have been in real trouble. Still, any ban is going to be detrimental for the handset manufacturer. For those of you who are interested, you can read the ITC’s full reading by hitting the appropriate source link below!

Source: Google Patent Search, The Verge (ruling)

[lkailburn]

The info in the verge link actually made more sense. It's just a small part of the ui and can be modified in a software patch/update.

-Luke

[ipodtouchman77]

HTC was like the only brand of an Android phone I would get. I LOVE HTC sense. :sadface:

[DaLsim]

War.Still going on???

[Bluemoldycheeze88]

What HTC phones?

[MetallicaFan1991]

Ah there was a time when I dreamed of getting the HTC HD2, then came along the iPhone. I like HTC designs but their cameras and speaker volumes are unacceptable.

[Mr.amin]

Recently Samsung..now htc?...i wonder why people still ask me why I hate apple.co