Google says it backs Android

Google today more formally put its weight behind HTC in defense against Apple's lawsuit. The company hasn't become an official component of the lawsuit but in a statement defended Android and the partners that make its phones. HTC has been key to Google's strategy and produced several of the most important devices, including the Nexus One, G1 and myTouch 3G.

"We stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it," Google said.

HTC itself has so far maintained a cautious stance in its response to Apple's complaint and claimed it takes patents "seriously," respecting both US and international laws.

The lawsuit if successful would not only penalize HTC for an unspecified amount of money but would use an ITC complaint to potentially ban most if not all of HTC's phone lineup in the US. Some have speculated that the lawsuit is an indirect means of attacking Google and preventing Android from posing a significant threat to the iPhone, although the lawsuit notably also includes several Windows Mobile devices, none of which have represented significant competition within the iPhone's strongholds of North America and Europe.

By Electronista Staff