Taiwan's HTC denies infringing iPhone patents
Taiwan's leading smartphone maker High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) on Wednesday denied infringing iPhone patents held by Apple after the US technology giant filed a lawsuit in the United States.
"HTC is not only an innovator in mobile technology but also an owner of many patents. We take American and international patent rights protection seriously," it said in a statement posted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange website.
"We will closely cooperate with US justice system in the case to protect our own innovative values and rights."
The company said the statement amounted to a denial of the accusations levelled against it by Apple.
HTC added that the suit is not expected to have any major impact on its operations in the short term.
Apple announced Tuesday that it had filed the lawsuit against HTC, which makes handsets for a number of leading companies and is the manufacturer of the Nexus One smartphone unveiled by Google in January.
Apple accused HTC of infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the "user interface, underlying architecture and hardware" of the iPhone.
"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it," Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a statement.
"We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
The company, based in Cupertino, California, said the lawsuit was filed in a US District Court in the state of Delaware and with the US International Trade Commission.
Apple has sold more than 40 million iPhones since its introduction in 2007.
(c) 2010 AFP
