HTC this week lost a UK patent infringement case brought on against it by Nokia. Not only will the loss see HTC have to halt sales of certain smartphones in the UK but the court documents may have also tipped its hand about its future plans.
Judge Richard Arnold has ruled that HTC must halt sales of the HTC One mini by December 6. A similar decision affecting its current flagship HTC One has been delayed to allow HTC to appeal the ruling. Arnold recognized that an HTC One sales ban could cause “considerable” damage to HTC.
Perhaps equally damaging is the revelation in the court documents that HTC plans to launch the HTC One’s successor, currently known as the HTC M8, as early as February 2014. A section of the document reads:
HTC is close to launching the successor flagship model to the HTC One. HTC has not revealed the launch date. Nokia has adduced evidence which suggests that the launch date is in the first quarter of 2014, and possibly as early as February 2014. HTC has no contradicted this. HTC’s evidence is that the new phone will not contain any chips which have been found to infringe the Patent.
HTC unveiled the HTC One in February 2013, just ahead of MWC 2013. A launch for its successor around the same time next year is not only plausible but widely expected as well. Whether HTC makes an announcement at a dedicated event like last year or at CES 2014 or MWC 2014 remains to be seen though.
The patent that has landed HTC in so much trouble in the UK has to do with mobile network standards and the way certain chipsets manage them.
Sources : Court ruling // TheNextWeb