Apple received its first big win earlier this week in its ongoing patent war with Android manufacturers. The International Trade Commission ruled in favor of the iPhone-makers in its patent infringement lawsuit against HTC.
The ITC’s decision was expected to have major ramifications for the Taiwanese company because it banned several products from the United States. But as it turns out, HTC may not lose much business (if any at all) due to the ruling…
Shortly after the ITC announced its verdict, HTC commented:
“While disappointed that a finding of violation was still found on two claims of the ‘647 patent, we are well prepared for this decision, and our designers have created alternate solutions for the ‘647 patent.”
And they weren’t kidding. Just yesterday we reported that the company was working on a viable workaround solution for the violating patents, and now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it’s complete. HTC says the workaround is finished and is currently being tested for compliance.
So, what does this mean? HTC had until April of next year to fix the issue. And given that the workaround is already completed, the company may not experience any loss of business.
It just goes to show you how ridiculous these software patent lawsuits can be. How much money do you think both companies spent on litigation fees over a problem that HTC managed to fix in a matter of days?