Apple wins initial ITC ruling on HTC phone

Apple Inc won a preliminary ruling from a U.S. trade panel that Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corp infringed on two of the California company's patents. HTC, which uses Google's Android operating system for its smartphones, said it would "vigorously fight" the infringement finding. An International Trade Commission judge on Friday made the ruling, but the full commission must now rule on whether it will uphold or reverse its administrative judge's decision. The ruling, though preliminary, will be closely dissected as it is one of the first between Apple and other smartphone makers that use Android. Smartphone technology has spawned a wealth of patent litigation. Apple also has filed complaints against Samsung Electronics, which also uses the Android software platform. Apple recently settled a case against Nokia. Microsoft and Motorola also have filed smartphone related lawsuits against each other. Android-based smartphones have outpaced iPhones globally but Apple is gearing up to launch a new iPhone this year, which is likely to give it a big boost. Apple initially accused HTC of infringing 10 patents but six were dropped from the case for various reasons. The ITC judge ruled that HTC infringed two of the remaining four. A final determination in the case is due on December 6. Apple filed a parallel lawsuit against HTC in a court in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. Asked for comment, Apple reiterated a previous statement by Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs that "competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours." The ITC is a popular venue for patent disputes because it can bar the importation of devices made with infringing technology. Often parallel lawsuits are filed in district courts to try to recoup any financial damages. "We are confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals process and are fully prepared to defend ourselves using all means possible," said HTC General Counsel Grace Lei in an email statement.

Brit Phone Company Shifts Call Center

A British phone company is shifting its call center back from Mumbai to Burnley, because it is cheaper. New Call Telecom, which competes with BT and Sky to offer home telephone services, broadband and low-cost international calls, is opening a call center in Lancashire after being attracted by low commercial rents and cheap labour costs, the Daily Mail reports. New Call's chief executive Nigel Eastwood reckons UK employees will stay longer as there are fewer opportunities to switch jobs than in Mumbai. "We did a cost and service analysis of returning home and there was an absolute parity between what we are paying for a third-party call center in India and here in the UK," he said. Eastwood also said that using British staff would also cut costs in the average amount of time taken to deal with customer inquiries. "The average handling time in the UK is three minutes. But if you go out to India, you need to add another minute unless it's a very efficient operation, so that means we can actually reduce the headcount with the saving," he said. "In India in the past decade, as call centers have grown, real-estate prices have gone up massively, while salaries have also crept up," Eastwood added.