av IGNETT E smartphone Patent Wars pr Janayy 2011, the research firm Ganalys announced that Google's Android had finally surpassed swiss pepietary Symbian operating system as the mest popular smartphone operating system wordwide? It po not only a victory for the open source ‘software movement, but a tuming point inte highly competitive race to capture market share in the, smartphone industry. The race began in 2007 when Apple released its iPhone, the first highly successful smartphone, with a touchscreen and p-notch Web-browsing capabilities. Less than a year later, Google released Android (an open Source operating system for mobile devices) to the entire mobile industry. The release presented a Cfalenge o Apple, Nokia, and Blackberry producer RIM, who were big movers in the market el "och had their own propsietary operating systems. 1n 2008, Motorola delivered the Dro the fi "mer Andoid success, The Droid sold over 1 milion units in its fst few months 0° the mar- ~ -based in2010, Taiwanbased smartphone manufacturer HTC came out with Me Android-ba Sprint, the fastest wireless network in the Un! ied States. Google releasederg + 14 Suddenly, Apple, Nokia, and RIM facag is own Nexus One that same y* Sreat competition. the competition for market share disintegrated j perhaps not surprisingly, in 2010, pel egtated into an Alloy t war in the US. cout system. The battle focused not on operating systems, buy stig patent i : ser teennooges inv inthe development of smartphones. On March 2, APpe fied & aya against HTC, ctaiming that HTC had infringed on 20 of Apple's patents.” The patents invotyg 7 touchscreens, graphical user interfaces, multitouch touch pads, signal processing, and other feayy, developed for Apple's Phone, Simultaneously, Apple feu vunpiaint with the Intemational Tage commission (ITC) against HTC in the hopes that the commission would Block imports of HTC hang sels that violated Apple patents. Analysts speculated that this was an indirect attack on Google ang its Android operating system.® Because both Google and Microsoft provided the underlying operating system technology on HTC's smartphones, these companies might be forced to detend their own pro- ducts if Apple were to be successful in its le nelle, Chgiaily caught off guard by Apple's lawsuit, HTC responded two months later by fting a complaint against Apple, accusing it of infringing on tive HTC patents pertaining to power management and to hardware and software needed to implement directories used in mobile phones. HTC asked the ITC to block the import of Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod.® Then, in October, Motorola filed four lawsuits alleging that Apple had violated 18 of ils patents. In @ separate move shortly after, Motorola asked a federal judge to invalidate Apple's multitouch patents, including those named in Apple's lawsuit against HTC. Apple countered later that month with lawsuits against Motorola, claiming the Droid violated two patents: one _ Pertaining to the Apple's multitouch feature and the other to ils use interface.® ._—-—-“e sa se vats Ando vated patens elaled fe how the man iphone synchronizes emails, shat MO! nth, Microsoft filed @ patent infringement lawsuit against Mot lotorola. Mi - Microsoft ars; how a schedules meetings; and how It alerts applications 9 'S 0 changes ji in atts: 4 h.?° By the end of 2010, ever i or signal strengt ), every major player yer in the smartphone market te me ina patent war with at least one competitor. "* on = Jeading position in the mobile industry, wit ty, with almost 30 percent of the ‘qoday. Nokia holds & imarity because Apple, RIM, and others have atl Sra primarily fe focused on smartphone products advanced markets. However, in the fourth quarter of 2010, over 50 percent of of ‘all H pat target ga to Western Europe and North America. As smartphone price: ices gobal smartphone, sales were lini to decline and mobile networks improve around the world, smartphones will grab an continue y in 2010, Nokia's market share fell by 7.5 points compared creasing share of the market Alreads saw an 67.2 percent growth in 2008. This resulted largely tp the provius year. Apple, meanwhile, wut the increase also came as a result of the expiration of trom its expansion into new countries, B communication service providers, including AT&T. The excusive sales agreements with certain ‘Phone is now available through 185 communication service providers, including Verizon Wireless. Ths i « meang that the communication service providers will compete to offer the Apple iPhone more cheaply. "2 So sme analysts argue that the patent infringement battles won't have an enormous impact on folios of intellectual property. with market share The major competitors have carefully buill uP por search to uncover where the other les of tovsands of patents. They are spending time and ro the day." one Wired analyst wales. Companies mi iat be infringing on their patents. “But, atthe end of ther. Motorola “all the Major play ers in the market will end up signing licensing agreements with one anott Intellectual Proper