Weighing the potential outcomes of Apple's patent infringement lawsuit against HTC, several IP and patent lawyers say HTC's phones could be barred from the United States, but both sides will probably look for a licensing agreement before getting to that point. To recap, Apple sued HTC for allegedly infringing 20 patents in its mobile phones. The lawsuit calls out popular Android phones such as the Google Nexus One and the Droid Eris, but also mentions the Windows Mobile-powered Imagio. What makes this lawsuit particularly interesting is that Apple filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, which has the power to stop infringing products from being imported stateside, as well as the U.S. District Court in Delaware. Of course, it's impossible to say whether Apple can win without having an attorney spend days or weeks looking through the individual claims, but Jason Webb, patent attorney for Webb IP Law Group, thinks Apple has reason to be confident. “It makes a huge difference that it is twenty patents instead of just one,” he wrote in a e-mail. Michael Downs, a partner in the patent law firm Fincham Downs LLC, agreed, noting that Apple has used some of the same patents in a counter-lawsuit against Nokia.Source: www.pcworld.com/article/190746/will_apples_patents_banish_htc_phones.htm
