HTC faces smartphone ban in Germany

HTC’s German subsidiaries may soon be barred from selling smartphones in the country following HTC’s recent decision to forgo an appeal to a patent lawsuit won by IPCom in 2009. The ban could spell trouble for HTC smartphone sales during the holiday season. “We will likely use the right awarded by the courts, likely resulting in HTC devices disappearing from shops during the crucial Christmas season,” IPCom said, noting that it hopes to enforce an injunction against HTC’s devices as soon as possible. HTC did not specifically say why it decided to pull its appeal, although The Guardian said HTC has previously indicated that its appeal argument was redundant. “While HTC can try to oppose the enforcement of the injunction, my research shows that the odds are very long against HTC on this one,” patent expert Florian Müller of FOSS Patents said, noting that HTC likely withdrew its appeal to avoid a court ruling on two additional IPCom patents HTC was accused of infringing on. The company recently warned that its revenue could fall 8% this quarter after its Android smartphones were met with tough rival devices from competitors Apple and Samsung.

Read [The Guardian] Read [FOSS Patents]