Most of Technology Patents’ operations seem devoted to suing 87 companies, including most major telecommunications firms, for violating patents regarding sending information over a digital network.

Mobile phone lawsuits filed since 2006 Each arrow represents a lawsuit involving a mobile patent. In some cases, when multiple firms are plaintiffs or defendants, a single suit is represented with multiple arrows. The circles are sized according to the total for each company.

GOOGLE and APPLE Many of Apple’s lawsuits are seen as proxy fights in its battle with Google, which created Android, now the dominant smartphone operating system. Apple has not sued Google directly, though it has sued its partners, including HTC and Samsung, and has countersued Motorola Mobility, now a division of Google.

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Suits among the top 10 litigants

Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2011 for $12.5 billion, largely for its patent portfolio.

NOKIA and APPLE In 2009, Nokia sued Apple for patent infringements and Apple countersued. In 2011 the companies settled some cases, with Apple reportedly agreeing to make a one-time payment of $600 million and future royalties to Nokia.

SAMSUNG and APPLE Apple and Samsung are suing each other around the world. In August, a California jury awarded Apple $1 billion. The same day, in South Korea, a court delivered a mixed verdict that, in part, ruled in Samsung's favor. A week later, in Japan, Samsung was the winner.

HTC and APPLE Apple filed suit against phone maker HTC in 2010 in a move widely seen as directed at Google, which had partnered with HTC. At the time, Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, said in a statement: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it.”

KEY

148

Apple

127

Samsung

127

Motorola

121

HTC

109

Eon

106

Nokia

104

Research in Motion

99

LG

87

Technology Patents

86