Patents do seem to be the new kind of ammunition in the intellectual property wars that we see are going on these days, what with lawsuits flying left, right and center all over the place. The latest developments in the courtroom point towards HTC filing a counterclaim against Apple in Florida, where the former claims that Apple actually infringed upon a couple of HTC’s patents. According to the Taiwanese manufacturer, these patents were first assigned to Hewlett-Packard and Electronic Data Systems (EDP), with EDP being picked up by HP four years ago.
This counterclaim follows hot on the heels of ongoing legal action by Apple for patent infringement, which is aimed at not only HTC but Motorola Mobility as well. Of course, the Florida court will not be the first one to hear of this patent infringement case, as similar cases are being heard across a range of international courts as well.
Apple’s rivals do seem to be fighting hard for their lives in the marketplace, which is the natural thing to do. Hopefully with all these lawsuits flying around, it would not stunt the industry’s potential where innovation is concerned, in addition to consumer choices.