Apple has chosen its competitors to sue on all fronts, and there has been an initial decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission for "stealing original technology." The ITC can ban imports of such popular smartphones as the HTC EVO 3D or the HTC Sensation 4G.
The judge found two out of ten patent infringements to be valid: 5,946,647 and 6,343,263, for a "system and method for
performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data" and a
"real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data." Attorneys have reported that these patents are also part of Android and may undermine all Android smartphones.
HTC issued a statement saying, "HTC does not yet have access to the judge's full opinion and analysis to determine the details of his findings."
"We are highly confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals
process and are fully prepared to defend ourselves using all means
possible," said Grace Lei, General Counsel of HTC. "We strongly believe
we have alternate solutions in place for the issues raised by Apple. We
look forward to resolving this case, so we can continue creating the
most innovative mobile experiences for consumers."
The ITC's Staff Attorney independently studied the facts and argued
at trial that HTC does not violate any of the 10 Apple patents.