Apple Hits Google in Patent Ruling

Apple 1, Google 0. A federal trade agency ruled Monday that HTC infringed on an Apple patent that allows users to place calls by tapping phone numbers that appear in emails or text messages. The “data tapping” case is a narrow victory for Apple, but it’s the first definitive ruling in the smartphone patent wars—and may be the first of many Apple victories against the Google-crafted Android platform. Apple maintained its original stance against Android in a statement: “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”