Updated at 3:36 p.m.
K&L Gates this week informed Congress that it is lobbying on behalf of smartphone and tablet manufacturer HTC America Inc.
According to a lobbying disclosure, the law firm is advocating for the Bellevue, Wash.-based subsidiary of the HTC Corporation in Taiwan on matters related to spectrum, privacy, broadband development and international trade. The account is handled by six K&L Gates lobbyists, including policy and regulatory practice leader Bruce Heiman and former Rep. James Walsh (R-N.Y.).
Heiman and Walsh didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Representatives for HTC didn't have an immediate comment.
HTC America first notified Congress in June that is lobbying in Washington. The company spent $10,000 on lobbying related to spectrum, competition and patent litigation issues during the disclosure reporting period that ran from April 1 to June 30.
Apple Inc., maker of the iPhone and iPad, and HTC are at odds with each other over patents concerning wireless technology.
Last year, Apple filed a patent infringement complaint against HTC with the U.S District Court for Delaware and the U.S. International Trade Commission. The ITC in July made an initial determination that HTC violated two Apple patents. The United States might not allow HTC to import some of its phones into the country if the ruling is upheld.
HTC then filed a complaint this month, also with the Delaware court and the ITC, alleging patent infringement by Apple.
“We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones,” HTC general counsel Grace Lei said in a statement earlier this month.
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