Tech HTC and Samsung Will Likely Sue Apple over iPhone 5

HTC and Samsung Will Likely Sue Apple over iPhone 5

Apple may have come out on top in its high-profile $1.05 billion lawsuit against Samsung last month. But the iPhone 5's rumored 4G LTE capabilities could land Apple in some legal hot water when the phone debuts later this month.

HTC owns a number of patents related to 4G LTE transmission, and two of them in particular might (if upheld in court) win an import ban on Apple's latest iPad along with the iPhone 5. It's still possible the iPhone 5 won't feature LTE, though just about all rumors have indicated it will.

It's likewise possible that a court could overturn the suit and deem HTC's patents invalid, but trade Judge Thomas Pender told Bloomberg last week that he'd have to be "pretty darn certain a U.S. patent is invalid" to quash it. Because the iPhone 5 was in production before the case came to a trial, HTC would have a valid argument for an import ban on the device if the court finds infringement and upholds its patents. If HTC does win though, it will still have to file an injunction, and then of course Apple will appeal; so even an expedited verdict likely wouldn't come in time to prevent or delay a September 21 launch.

Does this mean the iPhone 5 will have a limited release? Not necessarily. Most likely, this will just give HTC a bit more leverage for a settlement with Apple, which owns 434 LTE patents itself, and currently has a number of infringement claims against HTC. Remember, it's extremely rare for trade law cases like these to make it all the way to trial.

In a similar case, Samsung could demand a ban on LTE-enabled Apple products in the US and European countries, according to the Korean Times, which quotes a "ranking official" as saying, "It's true that Samsung has decided to take immediate legal action against Apple."

Again, the chances of this case affecting the iPhone 5's consumer debut look pretty slim. But a full-scale US ban on Apple's top product is within the realm of possibility for now.
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I do hope Apple gets sued by HTC and Samsung. Apple shouldn't start a war if they can't finish it. They sued Samsung, which was uncalled for. Now they get a taste of their own medicine.

 

Lately I've been likin' the Samsung over Apple.

Just got a tablet which has 3G/4G, actually LTE.

Checked out some tablets at London Drugs, but none, save the Apple iPad had 3g.

And they were all expensive. Some were $400, but no 3G (London Drugs doesn't carry Samsung tablets).

So I went somewhere else and got the Samsung. I was told Apple Samsung, HTC & a few others are the only 3G/4G tablet devices on the market.

The iPad doesn't play a lot of common extensions that you'd find on most home PC's.

Flash, Real Player, etc. So you can't acces 1/3 of the sites out there. I didn't think they worked that well either, from using them. Wasn't there somebody on memebee, she couldn't even get rid of her photos on them?

Apple's trying to change/re-shape consumer tastes rather than melding into what they want.

iPads are very expensive - you pay $550-$600 for one. Then you have to buy a plan, so you have to pay a minimum of $25 a month. Probably more like $40 given the heavy use of them by iPad users. 3 years could run a person $1500-$2500, including all the air time? This Samsung could run me as low as $800 in 3 years at $25 a month. But they said after I year I could ditch the service & buy it out at $300, which will have ended costing me $500 for the device with a year of 3G user, just $100 more than if I bought one of those Wi-Fi/non-3G pads at London Drugs. So, it's a good deal.

I don't really care who makes 'em just so long as I get what I want.