Claims new One phone uses Nokia-owned microphone parts
Phone manufacturer HTC has been hit with an injunction in a lawsuit by competitor Nokia, threatening to trip up the progress of its new HTC One phone, which has already been hobbled leading up to its release.
The injunction was granted by a court in Amsterdam, and stemmed from parts of a microphone installed in the One. The microphone parts, manufactured by ST Microelectronics, are allegedly identical to parts in the microphone of Nokia’s Lumia 720. Nokia says that it invented the parts in question and that they were made solely for use inside Nokia phones.
“HTC has no license or authorization from Nokia to use these microphones or the Nokia technologies from which they have been developed,” read a statement from Nokia.
“In its marketing materials, HTC claims that its HDR microphone is a key feature for the HTC One, but it is Nokia technology, developed exclusively for use in Nokia products.”
More problems for the One
The injunction is one more hurdle for HTC, which has struggled with delays for the One. The flagship phone was originally scheduled to be released in February, but just last week became available in AT&T and Sprint stores.
The pressure is on for the Taiwanese manufacturer, which reported record-low profits in the first quarter of 2013. The company posted a net income of $2.8 million, an eye-popping 98 percent decline from the first quarter of 2012.
The company said it is “considering whether [the decision] will have any impact on our business and we will explore alternative solutions immediately.”
The injunction, which prohibits ST from selling microphone parts to HTC, will remain in effect until March 2014.
Nokia and HTC have a Cheap Nike Shoes lengthy litigation history, with Nokia having filed around 40 other patent cases against HTC.
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