Nokia says that HTC's first New Year's resolution for 2014 should be to "compete fairly"
A few days ago, we told you that Nokia had won an injunction in Germany against all of HTC's Android flavored handsets. In order to have the sales ban put in place, the Finnish based OEM will have to post a bond of 400 million EUR ($550 million USD) just in case HTC is victorious at the appellate level. This means that HTC has now been found to infringe on seven Nokia patents in courtrooms around the world.
While most of us make resolutions to lose weight or stop smoking, it would seem that Nokia thinks that HTC needs to make a resolution for the New Year to "stop this free riding and compete fairly in the market." Perhaps Nokia is hinting that the only way out of this mess for HTC is to start licensing talks with it. So far Nokia has concentrated on HTC devices, but its next move might be to go after the entire Android platform.
There is talk that Motorola has started licensing talks with Nokia and we all know who that company calls Daddy. If Google feels compelled to protect Android through licensing Nokia's patents, who is to say that HTC won't follow suit. Google might have a reason to be worried. An upcoming Nokia vs. HTC trial in Dusseldorf will include Google Maps and Google Navigation.
The complete statement from Nokia follows:
source: FOSSPatents
The complete statement from Nokia follows:
"Nokia is pleased that the Regional Court in Munich, Germany has today ruled that any HTC product using Bluetooth or NFC connections infringes Nokia's patent EP 1 148 681, which covers the transfer of network resource information between mobile devices.
This judgment enables Nokia to enforce an injunction against the import and sale of all infringing HTC products in Germany, as well as to obtain damages for past infringement. This follows another ruling from the same court ten days earlier, which found that HTC products infringed Nokia's USB patent EP 1 246 071 and granting Nokia right to an injunction and damages against products infringing that patent.
Nokia began its actions against HTC in 2012, with the aim of ending HTC's unauthorised use of Nokia's proprietary innovations and has asserted more than 50 patents against HTC. During 2013, Nokia believes it has demonstrated beyond doubt the extent to which HTC has been free riding on Nokia technologies, with HTC found to infringe seven Nokia patents in venues including the Regional Courts in Mannheim and Munich, Germany, the UK High Court and the US International Trade Commission. HTC’s first New Year’s resolution for 2014 should be to stop this free riding and compete fairly in the market."-Nokia
This judgment enables Nokia to enforce an injunction against the import and sale of all infringing HTC products in Germany, as well as to obtain damages for past infringement. This follows another ruling from the same court ten days earlier, which found that HTC products infringed Nokia's USB patent EP 1 246 071 and granting Nokia right to an injunction and damages against products infringing that patent.
Nokia began its actions against HTC in 2012, with the aim of ending HTC's unauthorised use of Nokia's proprietary innovations and has asserted more than 50 patents against HTC. During 2013, Nokia believes it has demonstrated beyond doubt the extent to which HTC has been free riding on Nokia technologies, with HTC found to infringe seven Nokia patents in venues including the Regional Courts in Mannheim and Munich, Germany, the UK High Court and the US International Trade Commission. HTC’s first New Year’s resolution for 2014 should be to stop this free riding and compete fairly in the market."-Nokia
source: FOSSPatents
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