Apple has been filing patent infringement lawsuits against companies like HTC and Motorola not because it wants to protect its intellectual property, but because it is jealous and angry over the Android’s growing market share compared to the iPhone. So said Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt during a presentation at the Google Mobile Revolution conference in Tokyo.
“The big news in the past year has been the explosion of Google Android handsets and this means our competitors are responding, because they are not responding with innovation, they’re responding with lawsuits,” Mr. Schmidt said, according to Perth Now. “We have not done anything wrong and these lawsuits are just inspired by our success.”
Google’s Schmidt: Apple’s jealous!
Mr. Schmidt’s comments come in response to Apple’s ongoing lawsuit against HTC. According to Apple, HTC’s Android-based smartphones infringe on patents designed to protect the technology used in the iPhone. Android is the mobile device operating system Google developed and released after Apple began shipping the iPhone.
HTC was dealt a harsh blow recently when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that the company was infringing on two Apple patents. The ruling, if upheld, could lead to an import ban on the company’s Android-based smartphones.
Mr. Schmidt said that Google is supporting HTC’s plans to continue fighting Apple and the ITC ruling against it. He didn’t, however, say if Google is willing to help Apple overcome its apparent jealousy issues.
[Some image elements courtesy of iStockphoto]