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Open source community confused about Apple-HTC suit
Monday, 15 March 2010, 19:32 IST
Bangalore: Few days back, Apple sued HTC, alleging that the smartphone manufacturer has been in violation of 20 iPhone-related patents relating to user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. This action by Apple has fired up the open source community who has come up in support of HTC as most of the targeted allegations are based on the open source Google android platform. The complaint, filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, has asked for sales and importation of all HTC handsets in the U.S. to be halted, according to Neil Hughes of AppleInsider.
However, Charlie Wolf with Needham & Company has come out claiming that the open source community is confused about the Apple-HTC suit. Wolf, in a new note to investors, said the open source community is "hopelessly confused." He said the open source movement came from the academic community, where ideas are freely exchanged. But things don't work like that in the business world. "There's a critical difference between the free exchange of ideas and the free exchange of software," Wolf said. "In the academic world, the entire value of an idea accrues to its author in the form of reputation, citations, invitations to speak at conferences, and possibly an appointment at a prestigious university. In the open source world, no value accrues to the writer of a particular piece of software."
"The lawsuit is not about psychology," Wolf wrote. "It's about economics. Apple has every right to sue to protect its intellectual property. That's what our patent system is all about." Apple's lawsuit specifically mentions the Google Android mobile operating system, and lists a number of Android-powered handsets, including the Nexus One and myTouch 3G.
Google has come out in defense of its partner HTC, stating that the search giant stands behind the Android operating system "and the partners who have helped us to develop it." Wolf has previously said he believes Apple has better than 50-50 odds of coming out victorious in its suit against HTC.
