Countersuit calls Apple anti-competitive

A Spanish Android tablet maker, Nuevas Tecnologias y Energias Catala -- also known as NT-K -- has won its defense in a patent infringement suit directed against it by Apple, says FOSS Patents. In November 2010 Apple accused NT-K of copying the design of the original iPad, and asked a court for a customs ban, which resulted in NT-K tablets being seized after they arrived from China. In December Apple attempted to press criminal charges, but these were tossed out for an absence of "sufficient justification."

NT-K will likely take advantage of the victory in its countersuits against Apple. One case was initiated in August, and accuses Apple of anti-competitive behavior. In another NT-K is looking to reclaim financial damage, lost profits, and "moral damages."

On a broader level NT-K's win could create some precedent in other patent cases filed by Apple. The company is pursuing lawsuits against multiple businesses making Android-based products, most notably Samsung.

By Electronista Staff