Whatever smartphones have been coming out after the iPhone, seems like Apple has a problem with all of them! First Nokia, and now HTC, the maker of Google's Nexus One.

On Tuesday, the iPhone maker filed a lawsuit against HTC Corp., claiming that the latter infringed some 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone. The lawsuits have been filed in the US Intentional Trade Commission as well as the US District Court in Delaware. HTC has apparently been accused of swiping the iPhone's user interface, base architecture and hardware as well.

This immediately reminds one of all the patent infringements that Apple has accused Nokia of. It seems that Nokia's smartphones stole from the iPhone as well.

The companies are all fighting, and it is still unclear as to who is infringing what, but Apple has now, in my onion, started turning into the spoilsport. Does it seem like the company is not very happy with the competition in the market?

Maybe it is not; but we cannot blame Apple for it either. The iPhone is most definitely the king of smartphones, and the most popular model available ever since its official unveiling in 2007. To make something this amazing is not easy, and to protect it is even more difficult. Apple therefore wants to make sure that its beloved iPhone is protects from all sides.

What the courts will decide still remains to be seen. But meanwhile, these cases will, if nothing else, make for interesting reads and something which we would all want to follow. I, for one, am very interested to see how Apple protects and defends its favorite child!