Nokia Granted An Injunction Against All HTC Devices In Germany

Nokia granted an injunction against all HTC devices in Germany

BY Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly Hodgkins

...

All Articles by Kelly Hodgkins

Published 31 Dec 2013

Why trust Greenbot

We maintain a strict editorial policy dedicated to factual accuracy, relevance, and impartiality. Our content is written and edited by top industry professionals with first-hand experience. The content undergoes thorough review by experienced editors to guarantee and adherence to the highest standards of reporting and publishing.

Nokia was handed a big victory over HTC in Germany’s Munich Regional Court, according to a report in FOSS Patents. A decision by Judge Dr. Matthias Zigann could halt sales of all HTC devices, including the One series, in the European country.The ruling was part of a patent infringement case in which Nokia accused HTC of infringing on patent EP1148681, which describes a method of transferring information over NFC or Bluetooth. It’s a broad patent, but one that HTC apparently violates according to the German court.

The injunction is permanent, but provisional, meaning that the injunction is the final decision by the court, but Nokia must post a 400 million euro ($550 million) bond before it can go into effect. HTC can and likely will appeal the decision, but that legal option may not stop Nokia from enforcing the injunction in the meantime.

Google recognizes that this ruling is bad news for both HTC and other Android handset manufacturers. As a result, HTC and Google are filing several nullity complaints that challenge the validity of Nokia’s patent. These complaints have no immediate bearing on the HTC injunction.