Apple Drags HTC To Court,,

 In a latest development, Apple Inc. has sued HTC Corp. accusing the Taiwanese smartphone maker of infringing five of its patents. The patents relate to software architecture and user interfaces in portableelectronic devices, hardware for touchscreens and movement sensors.

This marks Apple’s second lawsuit against HTC, and the hearing of the first lawsuit is scheduled for August 5, 2011. The first lawsuit pertained to certain personal data and mobile communications devices and related software.

Apple has named a list of HTC’s last generation of phones in the claim, including the HTC Wildfire, HTC Desire, and the venerable HTC Hero. Jobs’ mob also takes issue with the the 7-inch HTC Flyer tablet.

HTC is the world’s third-biggest mobile phone maker, by stock market value. Grace Lei, HTC’s general counsel said,”HTC is dismayed that Apple has resorted to competition in the courts rather than the market place”.

Apple is also locked in a legal scrap with Samsung, claiming that the Korean giant has copied everything from the design of its phones and tablets to the packaging they come in.

Apple has been aggressively defending its intellectual property, and the latest legal patent lawsuit against HTC may halt U.S. imports of its new Flyer tablet computers, Bloomberg opined.

What do you think? Are phone manufacturers copying each other.?