A judge ruling on behalf of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has just handed Nokia its first taste of victory in a patent lawsuit against Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. Nokia is now taking the next steps in having a number of infringing devices banned from the US.
Last year, Nokia filed a complaint with the commission claiming that HTC infringed on two patents held by Nokia when the former was making its smartphones and tablets. These patents involved signals that are sent or received by the said devices. A judge has now issued a preliminary ruling that awards the case to Nokia.
Nokia filed the complaint with the ITC as the first step in getting several HTC smartphones blocked from the US market. Now that it has gained the upper hand, it will be continuing with the process and will ask the body to ban the following devices: the Inspire 4G, Amaze 4G, Flyer, Radar 4G,Rezound, and Sensation 4G. While the mentioned models might not be high on HTC’s list of popular smartphones, the ban could still significantly and adversely impact the Taiwanese company’s presence in the US.
Given that it’s still a preliminary ruling, it might take a while before matters come to that, should things still go in Nokia’s favor. Barring appeals or other legal recourse, the ITC is expected to hand down its final ruling sometime in late January 2014.
VIA: SlashGear
