Is Apple a patent troll for suing HTC?

This week, Apple filed a lawsuit against smartphone manufacturer HTC, alleging that the company's phones violated about 20 patents which Apple holds.  The claims against HTC appear to be directly related to its use of Google's Android operating system.

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement.  But many question whether any of the claims that Apple makes actually fits the definition of "stealing," or if Apple is simply trying to stifle competition for the iPhone.

A patent troll is a person or company that enforces its patents against one or more alleged infringers in a manner considered unduly aggressive or opportunistic, often with no intention to manufacture or market the patented invention.