HTC retailers in Germany have stumbled upon a roadblock, perhaps a major one. It has been confirmed that IPCom, a Germany-based patent firm has, on grounds of non compliance on the part of the retailers, decided to sue them.
For those who're not in the know of the matter, here's a little recap - IPCom, for sometime now has been working towards halting the sales of HTC smartphones in Germany over an infringed patent. To this effect, it had even set a deadline (December 20th, 2011). Top-notch retailers in Germany to follow were expected to comply to IPCom's demands within this period. IPCom had, according to our previous report threatened these retailers with legal action, if they failed to comply to its demands. Now, with the stipulated time period exhausted, IPCom has sued these retailers for having infringed on their patents by continuing to sell HTC smartphones, despite being asked to do otherwise. So far, reportedly, IPCom has sued around 30 HTC retailers across Germany.
In 2009, a German court had passed a verdict in the favour of IPCom, claiming that HTC had infringed on IPCom's patent, which pertained to the use of UMTS technology. It's tough times ahead for HTC, since like we mentioned on our previous report, HTC stands to lose millions of euros and a bruised relationship with retailers in a crucial market.
Tough times ahead
For those who're not in the know of the matter, here's a little recap - IPCom, for sometime now has been working towards halting the sales of HTC smartphones in Germany over an infringed patent. To this effect, it had even set a deadline (December 20th, 2011). Top-notch retailers in Germany to follow were expected to comply to IPCom's demands within this period. IPCom had, according to our previous report threatened these retailers with legal action, if they failed to comply to its demands. Now, with the stipulated time period exhausted, IPCom has sued these retailers for having infringed on their patents by continuing to sell HTC smartphones, despite being asked to do otherwise. So far, reportedly, IPCom has sued around 30 HTC retailers across Germany.
In 2009, a German court had passed a verdict in the favour of IPCom, claiming that HTC had infringed on IPCom's patent, which pertained to the use of UMTS technology. It's tough times ahead for HTC, since like we mentioned on our previous report, HTC stands to lose millions of euros and a bruised relationship with retailers in a crucial market.
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