Many factors likely fueled Apple's lawsuit against mobile handset manufacturer HTC. Patent suits have become a competitive weapon -- one that any company dare not allow its rival to use without using it as well. Lawsuits are sometimes filed because a firm believes it's about to be slapped with one. There's a case to be made, of course, that HTC has, in fact, infringed.

Apple's Patent Attack: This Too May Be Overhyped