Nokia seems to be raking in legal points in Germany as it scored yet another patent win against HTC. This time, the patent in dispute is quite an essential one that lets devices be compatible even with older network technologies.
HTC is probably feeling the heat as it loses one by one the patent cases levied against it by Nokia across the world. In Germany alone it has already had three strikes, making this newest one its fourth. HTC has also lost cases in the US and the UK and there are still others coming.
The patent in this case is related to how mobile devices adapt their revision levels depending on the network’s own revision level. This practically determines how a device can adjust to the technology being used in a network, which can be crucial to how newer device are able to be backwards compatible with older networks. Unfortunately, while this feature is crucial to complying with certain technical standards, the patent is not included in Nokia’s standards-essential patents, which HTC has already licensed.
While the Mannheim Regional Court has determined HTC to have infringed on Nokia’s patent and is ordering it to pay damages, HTC isn’t throwing in the towel yet. It states that it is fighting to invalidate the patent in Germany and remove its use from its own handsets, believing the patent to be redudant and no longer in use in the country.
VIA: FOSS Patents
