This lawsuit keeps getting interesting. In a behind-the-scenes report earlier today, Oppenheimer Analyst Yair Reiner explained how Apple scared handset manufacturers into disabling multi-touch and other features before filing a lawsuit against HTC.

Reiner claims that Apple was aggressive with competitors and warned them that it will battle against anyone that thought about using its patented technologies. Which is fair. However, it didn’t start attacking companies until they started to get more comfortable around Apple’s silence.

Although LG, Samsung and Nokia stayed away from enabling multi-touch, among other technologies, in their devices, Palm went ahead and enabled it. Knowing Palm, they have always had a thing about fighting up against Apple. Apple wasn’t too concerned because Palm wasn’t a strategic threat to them, and they were right.

Then arch rival Google enabled multi-touch for the Nexus One, and the industry took notice. They were all waiting to see how Apple would react, but it didn’t. This was what Apple was waiting for. After a few weeks, the company got in meetings with handset makers and told them they were ready to fight.

Apple later filed a lawsuit against HTC and accused the company of violating as many as 20 patents. Filing a suit against HTC had a few benefits. First, HTC had adopted Android as its platform of choice, now Apple could cripple the company. Second, HTC and Google are very close partners, and it could punch Google indirectly and make it be painful. Third, it could put everyone else that was interested in Android on high alert. And fourth, it could strike HTC without impacting the production of its own devices, since HTC and Apple don’t have a partnership currently.

With the way Apple is going, it would much rather kick Google, spook everyone else and knockout HTC at the same time. Talk about an effective legal strategy.