Google has been dealt two legal blows to Android in quick succession, with UK operator BT adding to the ranks of companies suing over the OS, as Apple wins a ban on some HTC products in the US.
Incumbent operator BT has filed suit against Google in the US, seeking billions of dollars in compensation for alleged violation of BT patents, the Guardian reported.
BT is claiming that Google Maps, Google Music, Android Market and Google's location-based advertising service all infringe on a handful of patents awarded to the company in the 1990s.
The development has added to concerns that Google may eventually be forced to change its free model for Android, and start charging a fee to cover the cost of the patent licenses being sought by a growing number of companies.
Google is also being sued directly by Oracle and security firm Gemalto over allegations of Android patent violation, while Apple is suing Samsung and HTC in a number of markets in what is regarded by some as an attack at Android by proxy.
While Apple eventually lost a bid to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab banned in Australia, the company has just scored a preliminary win against HTC in the US.
The US International Trade Commission has upheld a patent violation complaint from Apple, effectively banning some HTC phones in the market, Bloomberg said.
But any disruption of HTC products into the market may be short-lived. The patent relates to data detection technology, and HTC has stated that it plans to completely remove said technology from all of its phones soon.
HTC will also not be required to pull existing products off shelves, but only prohibited from importing new phones using the technology.