Apple verklagt HTC: 20 iPhone Patente verletzt (Update)

Wie Apple soeben per Pressemitteilung bekannt gegeben hat, hat das Unternehmen aus Cupertino eine Klage gegen HTC eingereicht, das es 20 iPhone Patente, die die Benutzeroberfläche, die Software-Architektur und die Hardware betreffen, durch den Konkurrenten verletzt sieht.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs wird in der Pressemitteilung wie folgt zitiert: „Wir können dasitzen und zugucken, wie unsere Konkurrenten unsere patentierten Erfinden stehlen oder wir können etwas dagegen tun. Wir haben uns dazu entschlossen, etwas zu unternehmen. Wir halten  den Wettbewerb für gesund, unsere Mitstreiter sollten jedoch ihre eigenen Technologien entwickeln und diese nicht stehlen.“

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Zudem ist in der Mitteilung zu lesen, dass Apple den Mobilfunkmarkt im Jahr 2007 mit dem iPhone revolutioniert hat, ein Jahr später folgte der grandiose App Store, der mittlerweile über 150.000 Apps in mehr als 90 Ländern bereit hält. Über 40 Millionen iPhones wurde bisher weltweit verkauft.

Update:
Engadget.com berichtet, dass sich HTC zu der Klage geäußert habe und diese für das Unternehmen aus heiterem Himmel komme. Anbei noch die zur Debatte stehenden Apple Patente:

• The ‚331 Patent, entitled „Time-Based, Non-Constant Translation Of User Interface Objects Between States,“ was duly and legally issued on April 22, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• The ‚949 Patent, entitled „Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics,“ was duly and legally issued on January 20, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚949 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
• The ‚849 Patent, entitled „Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image,“ was duly and legally issued on February 2, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚849 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit C.
• The ‚381 Patent, entitled „List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display,“ was duly and legally issued on December 23, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚381 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit D.
• The ‚726 Patent, entitled „System And Method For Managing Power Conditions Within A Digital Camera Device,“ was duly and legally issued on July 6, 1999 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚726 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit E.
• The ‚076 Patent, entitled „Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices,“ was duly and legally issued on December 15, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚076 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit F.
• The ‚105 Patent, entitled „GMSK Signal Processors For Improved Communications Capacity And Quality,“ was duly and legally issued on December 8, 1998 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚105 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit G.
• The ‚453 Patent, entitled „Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor,“ was duly and legally issued on June 3, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚453 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit H.
• The ‚599 Patent, entitled „Object-Oriented Graphic System,“ was duly and legally issued on October 3, 1995 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚599 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit I.
• The ‚354 Patent, entitled „Object-Oriented Event Notification System With Listener Registration Of Both Interests And Methods,“ was duly and legally issued on July 23, 2002 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A copy of the ‚354 Patent is attached hereto as Exhibit J.