Apple has suffered a defeat in one of its legal battles after a judge in the UK ruled that HTC is not infringing on Apple patents.
In a decision handed down today, Judge Christopher Floyd said that HTC does not violate four Apple patents the iPhone maker argued that the Asian smartphone and tablet manufacturer is infringing with its devices.
Furthermore, the judge ruled three out of the four patents are invalid including a patent that relates to the slide-to-unlock feature.
The two other …

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a slide to unlock patent it has applied for, a report from 9to5Mac says.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a “slide to unlock” patent. Image: Incase. / Flickr (CC)

The patent details a method to unlock a smartphone by using a horizontal sliding motion on a touchscreen.
Apple applied for the patent in December 2005 and the unlocking method was first seen in an Apple product when the Cupertino, California company …