ITC finds HTC in violation of two patents held by Apple
In the ongoing legal battle between giants, the US International Trade Commission has ruled that HTC, maker of our beloved EVOs, is in violation of two out of the ten patents that Apple has filed complaints about.
Currently HTC has vowed to appeal but a loss carries with it the possible threat that new HTC products would be banned from arriving on US shores in the future. It is assumed that if an appeal is not successful, then a settlement is very likely with Apple. This could also be seen more as a defeat for Android, with the possibility for more legal action to be taken by Apple against others supporting the mobile operating system.
Right now HTC is viewed as a legally weak Android animal due to a slim portfolio of patents in its collection. This even drove the company to purchase S3 Graphics earlier this month because of the collection of patents that the ITC administrative law judge recently deemed were used illegally by Apple.
It seems this fight is far from over, but it could have some serious repercussions for HTC and the future of Android phones to come.
[CNET]
