Android By Russell Holly Dec. 3, 2013 10:02 am
Nokia’s UK case against HTC for patent infringement has resulted in a ban on the One Mini, while an appeal for the survival of the HTC One has begun.
HTC claims to be an unwitting victim when it comes to some of the hardware found in their flagship phone. The HTC One contained a uniquely powerful microphone that was used as a selling point when the handset was announced. Unfortunately, the capabilities of that microphone were patented by Nokia, and as a result an injunction against all devices using that hardware is currently being attempted. The HTC One awaits final judgement thanks to an appeal, but it looks like the smallest of the One family is going to be sitting on the sidelines instead of on UK retail shelves for the time being.
When the initial accusation was made by Nokia, HTC claimed that they were going to start making versions of the phone with a different microphone and radio. The company claimed that they had no idea a patent was being infringed upon, even though the part was being sold to them by the same manufacturer as the one who supplied Nokia for their Lumia line. HTC is currently trying to get a judge to agree that these parts are too insignificant to justify an outright ban of the One, but there’s no real way of knowing how successful that appeal will be.
Nokia is in an interesting position now that it has been acquired by Microsoft. They are defending their patents and making sure their devices are superior when it comes to audio recording clarity. Since Windows Phone is still showing a slow and steady creep in market share, this is mostly a good thing for them.
Microsoft and HTC have squared off before, ending in a deal that earns Microsoft cash for every Android device sold by HTC that infringes on patents. Nokia seems far more interested in an all out ban then some kind of financial deal, but it’s still possible that the two companies will resolve things in the short term.
Now read: KitKat only accounts for 1.1 percent of Android
More...
HTC claims to be an unwitting victim when it comes to some of the hardware found in their flagship phone. The HTC One contained a uniquely powerful microphone that was used as a selling point when the handset was announced. Unfortunately, the capabilities of that microphone were patented by Nokia, and as a result an injunction against all devices using that hardware is currently being attempted. The HTC One awaits final judgement thanks to an appeal, but it looks like the smallest of the One family is going to be sitting on the sidelines instead of on UK retail shelves for the time being.
When the initial accusation was made by Nokia, HTC claimed that they were going to start making versions of the phone with a different microphone and radio. The company claimed that they had no idea a patent was being infringed upon, even though the part was being sold to them by the same manufacturer as the one who supplied Nokia for their Lumia line. HTC is currently trying to get a judge to agree that these parts are too insignificant to justify an outright ban of the One, but there’s no real way of knowing how successful that appeal will be.
Nokia is in an interesting position now that it has been acquired by Microsoft. They are defending their patents and making sure their devices are superior when it comes to audio recording clarity. Since Windows Phone is still showing a slow and steady creep in market share, this is mostly a good thing for them.
Microsoft and HTC have squared off before, ending in a deal that earns Microsoft cash for every Android device sold by HTC that infringes on patents. Nokia seems far more interested in an all out ban then some kind of financial deal, but it’s still possible that the two companies will resolve things in the short term.
Now read: KitKat only accounts for 1.1 percent of Android
More...
