Yesterday Apple announced that it is suing HTC for nicking its technology. While patent battles are fairly fashionable in the tech world, it is fairly clear that Apple is sending a message to Google's partners.

HTC, while chums with Microsoft, is Google's ally for its Android software. The complaints demand damages against HTC but to bar it from importing and selling in the United States any of its phones based on Google's Android operating system.

Google is not even mentioned in the lawsuit but it has shipped more devices running Android than any other manufacturer. Apple claims that HTC nicked its touch screen, how users unlock the gadget by sliding their finger across its screen, how documents are displayed on it, and how different parts of the iPhone's underlying operating system interact with each other.

It seems clear that Apple is trying to control the spread of Android by hitting Google's partners. By sending a message that they will be sued if they provide hardware which is similar to Jobs' Mob it might be that the industry will quake with fear. 

In January, at a company meeting, Jobs mocked Google's mantra of "Don't be evil," and claimed that the search giant wanted to kill the iPhone.